Army Clinical Psychology Scholarships: ‘Tis the Season at Thanksgiving – ‘Tis too Late by Christmas

I am often asked “When is the best time to apply for Army Doctoral Scholarships in Clinical Psychology?” The short answer is that your whole application packet must be completed and submitted by Thanksgiving. There is some small amount of flexibility in this deadline, but Christmas is certainly too late.

It is important to understand why this deadline is so crucial to the application process. The most noticeable reason is because there is only one chance per year for clinical psychology doctoral students to apply for the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), as opposed to most other doctoral fields (dentistry, medicine, and veterinary medicine) for which the scholarship is available until the total annual pool is exhausted.

The HPSP application packet includes a considerable amount of documentation that will be reviewed by a selection board to determine who will be selected for that year’s scholarships. Although the Army Medical Department AMEDD has a greater number of available scholarships than the Navy or Air Force, the selection board is highly competitive, so the serious applicant would be wise to start working with a knowledgeable Army Healthcare Recruiter by August in their second year of graduate school. It takes time and expertise to collect the documents and information needed to apply for both a federal job and a 100% tuition scholarship at the same time, so it is essential to find the right person to guide you through the process, and you must get started early!

All I Want for Christmas is an Army Career

What do you want for Christmas? How about an Army career? I already have one of those - got it back in '92, and have been getting the same thing every year since then. How's that for "re-gifting"... a lot better than a fruitcake!

It may be a little too late to hope to get an Army career handed to you on a Thanksgiving platter, but you may still be able to get one for Christmas or New Year's if you have a doctorate in a Health Care field, and you are really serious about getting all your letters to Santa (application documents) completed quickly.

What basic documents are required to be considered for an Army Health Care career opportunity?

• CV or Resume
• Professional License (if your field requires one)
• Birth Certificate
• Transcripts from all schools attended
• CME's (Continuing Medical Education) - if applicable
• Board Certification - if applicable
• Prior Military Service Records (DD 214 minimum)- if applicable

If you are currently practicing in your field, that's all Santa needs to determine what new career may be under your tree this Christmas. Some career opportunities also come with student loan repayment and/or signing bonuses, depending on your specialty. All doctorate-level health care providers who are hired by the Army will begin their career as an Army officer with rank determined based on experience and qualifications.

I know a lot of people who were employed in the subprime mortgage business, and most of them have been unemployed for at least part of the last year. I also know many struggling clinicians who aren't making the kind of money that their medical or dental programs boasted they would supposedly be making - some have even seen their businesses fail. That's why a career as an Army Health Care officer is ideal in our present economy. The job is secure, the pay is competitive, the prestige is twofold as an officer and a doctor, the leadership opportunities are unparalleled... and perhaps most importantly, you spend your time actually treating patients instead of losing hair trying deal with marketing, staffing, accounting codes, and payrolls!

For me, my Army career is the best gift I have ever gotten, and it has helped me to eliminate debt instead of multiplying dbt the way most gifts do.