Cleverisallxx Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Now that the euphoric high from getting into PA school has somewhat settled, the cost of the attending school (loan amount rivaling the one for the condo I'm living in...) is starting to hit me. :sweat: I've started to look into scholarships, especially NHSC. I've skimmed through some of the threads on here, but would really appreciate some more feedback. For students or graduates in NY that have received the scholarship, what were your experiences like? How can you tell which sites are great, before applying for them? The loan repayment program seems to be more flexible than the scholarship program also, but are they equal in terms of competitiveness? How competitive is it? I just want to make sure I have a good idea of what the terms entail before I spend time filling out the application, so any advice is welcome. I've already had the desire to work in primary care (but preferably part-time) after graduating, so this would fit my needs pretty well. The one thing that I am worried about is whether this would hinder me from working in another specialty down the line, if I chose to do something different - would the experience that I gain from there sort of "typecast" me? Sorry if that's a silly question, I'm just clueless at this point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I am a NY PA School grad who received the NHSC Scholarship. I have never regretted it. My PA school was very expensive. The NHSC paid for my tuition, gave me a healthy monthly stipend, and sent me sizable checks for "other reasonable costs". All this for two years in an undeserved area...well worth it. This is the population I want to work with so for me it was a win-win situation. The only caveat I can give in terms of the Scholarship program is that you should be willing to relocate. There are less sites available for the Scholars vs the Loan Repayees. That being said, I received four job offers before I even took the PANCE. As for the sites themselves, you start with a phone interview which may progress to a conference call interview with one or more people. If things are favorable, you will be asked to visit the site. The NHSC pays for site visits and site relocations when you finally do take a position. I am six months into my primary care site and love it. I am a bit confused as to why you would think that primary care would hinder you from working in another specialty later on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleverisallxx Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the information! Did you yourself have to relocate? As for working in different specialty, I think I just had the idea that they would rather train a new grad in a certain specialty rather than someone who has already been working in a different field for a couple of years. Just a strange thought, I suppose. Everything sounds great though, aside from possibly having to relocate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleverisallxx Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the information! Did you yourself have to relocate? As for working in different specialty, I think I just had the idea that they would rather train a new grad in a certain specialty rather than someone who has already been working in a different field for a couple of years. Just a strange thought, I suppose. Everything sounds great though, aside from possibly having to relocate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleverisallxx Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the information! Did you yourself have to relocate? As for working in different specialty, I think I just had the idea that they would rather train a new grad in a certain specialty rather than someone who has already been working in a different field for a couple of years. Just a strange thought, I suppose. Everything sounds great though, aside from possibly having to relocate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleverisallxx Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the information! Did you yourself have to relocate? As for working in different specialty, I think I just had the idea that they would rather train a new grad in a certain specialty rather than someone who has already been working in a different field for a couple of years. Just a strange thought, I suppose. Everything sounds great though, aside from possibly having to relocate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Cleverisallxx, I did relocate but I was excited to do that. I figured that if I loved it, it would be an adventure and if I disliked it, hey, it's only two years...but as it turns out, I am very happy at my NHSC site! The topic of relocation scares lots of people away but depending on where you live, there may be many sites with openings...or at least a nice group to choose from. The NHSC Loan Repayers have lower criteria for their sites so they do have more sites to choose from than the scholars. Feel free to ask any other questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Cleverisallxx, I did relocate but I was excited to do that. I figured that if I loved it, it would be an adventure and if I disliked it, hey, it's only two years...but as it turns out, I am very happy at my NHSC site! The topic of relocation scares lots of people away but depending on where you live, there may be many sites with openings...or at least a nice group to choose from. The NHSC Loan Repayers have lower criteria for their sites so they do have more sites to choose from than the scholars. Feel free to ask any other questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Cleverisallxx, I did relocate but I was excited to do that. I figured that if I loved it, it would be an adventure and if I disliked it, hey, it's only two years...but as it turns out, I am very happy at my NHSC site! The topic of relocation scares lots of people away but depending on where you live, there may be many sites with openings...or at least a nice group to choose from. The NHSC Loan Repayers have lower criteria for their sites so they do have more sites to choose from than the scholars. Feel free to ask any other questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 I have 3 months left of PA school is it even worth it to apply for a scholarship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 I have 3 months left of PA school is it even worth it to apply for a scholarship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 I have 3 months left of PA school is it even worth it to apply for a scholarship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Not for the NHSC Scholarship but you can apply for the NHSC Loan Repayment program. It's worth looking into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Not for the NHSC Scholarship but you can apply for the NHSC Loan Repayment program. It's worth looking into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Not for the NHSC Scholarship but you can apply for the NHSC Loan Repayment program. It's worth looking into. Yea they won't award someone graduating. Yea I'm looking into sites in my area and I'll talk to someone when I go to aapa Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Not for the NHSC Scholarship but you can apply for the NHSC Loan Repayment program. It's worth looking into. Yea they won't award someone graduating. Yea I'm looking into sites in my area and I'll talk to someone when I go to aapa Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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