Applying to the HPSP Scholarship
I have been MIA recently because I am currently transitioning out of the Army. The Army has been a fun time in my life, and I gained a lot of great dental experience through my intentional practice.
I learned a lot about:
1. Teamwork
2. Having a real job
3. Patient Management
4. Staff Management
5. Life
Teamwork: I learned that you and your dental assistant are a team. Your dental assistant sets the tempo for how efficient your dental practice can be. If everything is ready to go, then things can run smoothly and fast. You have to build this trust over time.
Having a real job: You should try to arrive 15 minutes early or at least on time. This is a job that you and co-workers have to go to everyday. Make it a pleasant place for everyone... positivity is key.
Patient Management: I performed comprehensive cosmetic dental work on active duty soldiers. In the Army medical and dental treatment are free for active duty soldiers. The patient does not pay for the treatment. Sometimes I felt that the patient took this for granted and missed their appointments. I learned after a few patients that you must get commitment from the patient. This was achieved after he/she showed that he/she was reliable after the case presentation, photos, and workup. These patients rarely missed their appointments.
Staff Management: You cannot be a great dentist if you are not good a leader. The dentist is the conductor. You have to learn how to manage people and ask them to do things in a nice polite manner. Micromanaging people causes for a bad work environment, however you should make sure the task was finished.
Life: You are working with a dental team of assistants, front desk staff, and hygienists... as well as your patient. Everyone has their own life and problems to deal with. Things come up, such as emergencies and you have to be flexible. Life happens, try to support one another.
*** Info on the Army HPSP Application***
Now that I finished my tangent... I will get to the meat of this blog post. The steps to apply for an HPSP Scholarship.
1. Find an Army recruiter
2. Get your Letters of Recommendation ready
3. Find references of people that have known you for a long time
4. Essay on why you want to join the Army
5. Transcripts
Find an Army recruiter: this is key. Your recruiter determines how smoothly things run. I was on the fence about joining the Army and my recruiter arranged for a trip to see an Army dental clinic and get my medical evaluation done. My recruiter treated me very well and made sure everything was processed quickly.
At the time I applied we were in war and the Army, Air Force, and Navy were heavily recruiting. All the AF scholarships were gone. The Army and Navy had a few left. I was between the two branches. I choose the Army over the Navy because of my Army recruiter. He had everything finished and ready for me to join while the Navy recruiter was MIA (missing in action). I wanted to join asap and the Army made it happen. Also, a part of me didn't want to be deployed on a boat. Looking back on it now, all my friends that were in the Navy did not end up on ships.
Letters of Recommendation: I asked all the people that wrote me a letter of recommendation (LOR) for dental school to tweak it for the Army HPSP scholarship. The LOR should help support that you will make a good officer.
References: You have to fill out a lot of paperwork for the Army. In this paperwork they ask for references that have known you for a long time. The Army asks for their phone number and address I believe. I applied a long time ago... so this may have changed.
Essay: You need to submit an essay on why you want to join the Army, Navy, or Air Force. I believe applying to all branches is very similar.... again it has been some time since I applied.
Transcripts: You have to provide official transcripts of your past education. This includes high school, college/university or other applicable transcripts.
Among the HPSP Scholarships the Air Force (AF) has the least to give because it is the smallest branch. This makes the AF more selective. In the past, you needed a higher GPA and if you had a medical condition, such as a prior surgery, it would be very difficult for this to get cleared for scholarship acceptance.
Army > Navy > AF
In terms of HPSP scholarships, the Army has the most to give. There are only a select number of scholarships every year so apply early and accept soon if this is what you want..
I applied and was accepted for the Army HPSP scholarship. It took me awhile to make my decision. I waited...contemplating what I should do, because of this I missed my opportunity for a 4 years scholarship (4 years of paid tuition). Instead, I accepted a 3.5 year scholarship, which I was happy to have the option to have.
Good luck with your application process!
I hope everyone is making use of their summer with some relaxation, self reflection, and self improvement. Enjoy!