#nhsc

Originally published June 6, 2018

I opened my e-mail and SURPRISE! "Important" news from the NHSC.

My score for my 2 year service is... drumroll please... EIGHTEEN! My genuine first reaction was just to allow the short-circuit in my brain to happen. I applied for the scholarship in 2016 so this whole time I was expecting anywhere from a HPSA score of 16-17 so 18 is a huge surprise! 

But I also knew that I could be going to an extremely rural site upon graduation and I was down with it. I knew what I signing up for. I truly agree with the mission and the program's strategy of using financial support to incentive providers to go to the areas of highest need. I'm happiest when I have a firm sense of purpose and motivation for what I'm doing in my daily life. As I look through my site options, I can truly say that these are areas of HIGH NEED.

So how did I find out which sites I would be eligible to apply and work for as a Scholar?

1. Visit the HRSA Workforce Connector and type in your title in the "Keyword" section before clicking "Advanced Search."

2. This will bring you to a page that has three sections: filters on the left, search results in the middle, and a map of search results to the right. I went through the filters and the options I changed to match the Scholar requirements are highlighted in red. Don't click "Only show sites with open positions" for now because these positions will change with time.

3. As an NHSC Scholar who is open working in both underserved primary care and mental health communities, there are 212 active sites that I can apply to across the United States. From the research I've done on this site, there's probably more sites that are eligible (by zip code, HPSA eligibility, currently not active) but let's go with 212 for now.

Next, click the "Download Results" button and a Excel .CSV file will open.

4. The file will look like the first image below. Convert the .CSV file to a standard Excel file when prompted. As you can see, the address is separated out into several columns. My advice is to create a copy that only has the site's NAME, POSITIONS, and ADDRESS.

5. From there, you can either choose to scroll down through the cleaned up excel file and identify which sites may be the best fit for you! For me, I'm a visual person and location is a big factor in which site I'll apply for in 8 months time (Graduation: February 2019 - I know... I'm an early planner). So I made a personal Google Map of the sites that I can easily navigate and send to friends and family.

Remember my earlier post about contemplating whether to stay in New York or leave? Well, with a score of 18, I will officially be leaving New York City after graduation! As you can see on the map to the left, there is nothing in New York City or even Philadelphia/ Connecticut/ New Jersey that is above an 18!

Am I freaking out? Honestly, yes. The reason? I was not ready for how limited my options were with a 17 versus an 18.

The increase of 1 HPSA points drops the number of possible sites by a significant amount.

Many hospital-based clinics like Gouverneur's in Chinatown, New York, that are urban and high need fall right under the cut-off.

I had done research on sites using the 17 scoring and to see favorites ruled out was jarring.

But! I'm coming around to this new reality! There are sites I'm familiar with in Los Angeles and Chicago. There are many places that I've discussed moving to. And ultimately, this is what life is!

Next steps I've taken/will take is talking to friends, family, my partner, finding NHSC mentors who've been through this process, setting up my CV, etc. In the fall, I'll have more concrete plans to pare down a list of sites and visit through the NHSC-subsidized trips either to shadow or to interview!

Are any of y'all in a similar boat? Excited and freaking out at the same time? Would love to chat! Hit me up in the Contact Me section!

Reflection from February 28, 2019

Planning in June? WAY TOO EARLY. Save yourself the anxiety and start planning in October earliest. In October, you’ll be connected to your Regional Adviser and work with that individual to narrow down your search. If your regional adviser is not in charge of the location that you’re looking for, ask them to connect you with the RAs who are. This was key to my search because the specific regional adviser of an area is the expert for those specific job sites and will have connections. 

Summary:

Originally Published April 4, 2016

THE WAITING GAME

I'm in that dreaded, anxiety-inducing time space of waiting to hear back from my final program. I don't know what future I'm heading into - ahhh! I paid my deposit for Program #1 (it's amazing, has a ton of resources and international opportunities, and I'd graduate with a dual MPH/MPAS degree) that has a May start date, which means that I would need to pay tuition and find housing ASAP. But I can't help but hold out for Program #2, which is my top choice and they usually get back to students 2-4 weeks after the interview a.k.a mid-to-late April.

This year, the admissions committee for Program #2 is selecting 35 students from an applicant pool of over 2,000 people. That's a 1.5% admission rate. 1.5% percent! So, I needed to put all my anxious energy into doing something productive and the National Health Scholar Corps' Scholarship Program just happens to be due this month.

As a PA student, not sure what my chances are but I figured I'd share the process. If you're into primary care or if you're looking for ways to fund your medical/dentistry/nursing education -- definitely consider applying!

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS?

The mission of the National Health Service Corps is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care. The NHSC provides support through three major efforts: the Loan Repayment Program (LRP), the Scholarship Program, and the Job Center. I had intended to spend today writing my essays, but instead I spent some time creating an infograph...

[Infograph of the NHSC program for students and recent graduates. Features 1) Loan Repayment program application due April 5, 2016 at 7:30PM EST (2 years of service for up to $50,000 in loan repayment as HPSA site with score greater than 14 (the higher the HPSA score, the higher your chances). 2) Scholarship due April 28, 2016 at 7:30PM EST (2-4 years of tuition, fee, academic resources, and taxable living stipend cover) requires a completed NHSC application, tuition and fees schedule, 6 documents, 3 essays, and 2 letter of recommendations.]

MY APPLICATION PROCESS

Filled out the demographics and background question super quick. After completing CASPA and FAFSA, this one was a breeze and took less than 30 minutes.

The key parts are that you have to be an American citizen (contact me about finaid options for non-citizens), not be delinquent in any of your federal loans (ie. undergraduate loans), and you're about to enter a qualified health professions school for MD/DO, Dentistry, NP, Certified Nurse-Midwives, or Physician Assistant Studies.

To Accomplish:

Request 2 letters of recommendation. I plan to ask my college advisor/professors who wrote a LOR for my CASPA applications and the Medical Director of the Community Health Center I work at. But before I contacted them, I first wanted to be clear on my essay answers first.

Complete final drafts for all 3 essays. I understand the prompts as: "Why and how will you work with underserved communities? What experiences do you bring to the table? Why you?" The way they're actually phrased is:

How will you contribute to the mission of the National Health Service Corps in providing care to underserved communities?

What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?

Please discuss your commitment to pursue a career in primary health care.

Acquire all necessary documents from my undergraduate school to demonstrate disadvantaged background and figure out which school I'm going to matriculate to in order to submit the tuition and fees schedule.

The application is pretty straightforward and I'm super excited to pursue this opportunity and articulate my reasons for why primary care/underserved communities! I love primary care and community health so it's a no brainer for me to try even though it's extremely competitive. For me, the biggest variable really is knowing which school I'll be matriculating into this summer. #cantwait

If this is the first time you're hearing about the NHSC Scholarship and you're matriculating this year, you still have time to apply! Go to the NHSC website for the application.

Reflections from February 19, 2019

Tribal colleges are critical.