Scholarships combine classroom duty with hands-on Army training
FORT KNOX, Ky.--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Sep 7, 2005--As college students return to campuses this fall, top medical and dental students will receive classroom instruction from the nation`s most prestigious schools while receiving hands-on training from the U.S. Army under the F. Edward Hebert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP).
''The Army medical scholarship has given me a sense of service to my country and has introduced me to a side of medicine rarely seen in a civilian setting,'' says Capt. Jose Miranda, a Yale graduate and third-year orthopaedic surgery resident at Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Fort Gordon, Ga. ''As a medical student I was introduced to a different level of trauma and experienced medical care that was more extreme.''
Similar to Captain Miranda`s experience, medical and dental HPSP scholarship recipients attend the university of their choice and train 45 days each year at world-renowned Army Health Care facilities, including Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., or Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. For today`s HPSP students, training as Global War on Terrorism operations continue means learning advanced battlefield treatment lessons.
''As an orthopaedic student, I learned to triage patients, treat battlefield wounds, function as a physician in austere conditions and provide definitive care stateside to returning Soldiers,'' says Capt. Miranda.
Learning advanced treatment from health care providers with experience in mass casualty situations is a draw for top students who want to prepare for modern challenges.
Another reason elite students choose HPSP scholarships is the opportunity to graduate from medical and dental school debt-free. HPSP scholarship recipients receive 100 percent of tuition for one to four-year graduate programs, along with reimbursement for mandatory books and certain academic fees, as well as a monthly stipend of more than $1,200.
In return for financial and educational benefits, HPSP scholarship recipients become members of the Army Health Care Team, one of the nation`s largest and most advanced health care networks. Individuals participating in the program gain an Active duty obligation of one year for each year of HPSP payment.
After earning professional degrees, HPSP scholarship recipients may continue advanced training in the Army`s nationally recognized internship and residency program. These competitive programs maintain the high standards learned during the Army`s student programs, including:
* Army emergency medicine residents at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Wash.; Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and the Medical Department at Fort Hood, Texas, have scored in the top 10 programs nationwide on the annual American Board of Emergency Medicine in-service examinations for the past 10 years. Fort Sam Houston residents have earned the highest overall national score for the past five years.
* Eighty-eight percent of Army physicians who have completed their residency training have passed the exam to become board certified, a higher rate than the 79 percent among civilian primary-care physicians and 82 percent among civilian specialists
Students interested in learning more about HPSP scholarships can log on to healthcare.goarmy.com to read about the program, chat live with health care recruiters online or locate a local recruiter.
''The Army absolutely wants the best health care professionals, and does everything it can to retain those professionals,'' concludes Captain Miranda.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT (AMEDD)
From nurses and entomologists to veterinarians, dietitians and physicians, Army Health Care offers more than 90 professional health care career paths � more than any other military service.
Army Health Care annually employs more than 73,500 Active-duty professionals and 72,000 Reserve Soldiers, interacting with more than 200,000 patients on an average day. The Army`s health care system is an $8 billion per year venture, employing 145,000 people and managing the care of three million beneficiaries. The active Army is augmented by a Reserve Component, comprised of health care professionals in Reserve units throughout the United States and abroad.
One of the largest health care networks in the world, AMEDD operates more than 600 world-renowned hospitals, clinics and facilities around the globe. AMEDD encompasses six corps: Dental, Medical, Medical Service, Medical Specialist, Nurse and Veterinary.
To learn more, call 800-USA-ARMY, x740 (Medical Corps) or x540 (Dental Corps), or visit http://healthcare.goarmy.com.
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