HPSP/HSCP: How to Schedule a Clerkship During Medical/Dental School
- thepredentalguide
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
If you are an HPSP student in dental or medical school and wondering what life in the military may look like, I highly recommend scheduling a clerkship to see a true day in the life of a military dentist or physician. For a quick read, check out my most recent blog post on a "Day in the Life of a Navy Dentist".
As someone with no military background in my family, I found a clerkship to be incredibly helpful in understanding the responsibility I'd be taking on shortly after dental school. I completed a clerkship through Naval Base San Diego between my 3rd and 4th year of dental school and here are 5 reasons why completing an HPSP clerkship was invaluable to my military career:
5 Reasons To Complete an HPSP Clerkship:
I was unsure if I should pursue a credentialing tour/AEGD/GPR. I rotated through every single program and asked all residents the pros/cons and if they would do it all over again. If you're making this decision, check out my blog post detailing the 3 programs.
This was my first exposure into a military setting. (I didn't have my uniforms until ODS so I wore business casual and changed into scrubs each day) but by immersing myself in the environment, I learned how to salute, how to get aboard a military base with my CAC card, and daily military traditions like colors.
I was able to network with Navy dentists (junior and senior dental officers) that would become my mentors. I also spoke with AEGD and GPR directors who were so kind to organize a ship tour for me. I even got to work with specialties like Oral surgery and participate in AEGD resident seminars with periodontists and orthodontists.
I felt lucky to have had an afternoon with a military dentist attached to an air craft carrier and a LPD ship. This was integral in me understanding what military dentistry looked like in the Navy.
I learned advice from active duty personnel that was pertinent to me during my dental school window. A future blog post to come on "Everything a HPSP student should do during Medical/Dental School". For example, I learned the immense value of compounding interest for me to start my TSP retirement account contributions during my 90 day active duty requirement each year. I learned what kind of dental equipment I could get reimbursed by the Navy. This clerkship easily yielded thousands of dollars in earnings for me just through knowledge of meeting the right people at the right time.
FYSA- In medicine, this clerkship is more commonly referred to as an "audition".
Q&A.
How do I schedule?
Every command should have a Graduate Medical and Dental Coordinator that you can contact to select a facility and rotation to sign up. You will need to coordinate a few weeks blocked time in your dental/medical school rotation schedule. Refer to this updated navy medicine go-by for a comprehensive guide on scheduling clerkships:
It's a small but large world in the Navy. Funny enough, the dental assistant and provider I was working with became my dental assistant and credentialing supervisor 2 years later when I began my military career at Naval Medical Center San Diego, 32nd St Dental Branch Clinic and Marine Corp Recruit Depot. The 2 photos show three dedicated active duty service members 2 years apart.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in this website are those of Dr. Jenny Giao and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government. The contents in this website are for informational purposes only.
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