How I Went to PA School for FREE and You Can Too

PA school is expensive, but it's possible to go for free AND have your housing costs and books covered while you are going to school! Most of these options are through the United States military or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). There is also a loan repayment program through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to have $50,000 in loan repayment for a two-year commitment to work in a clinic or hospital that serves an underserved population such as taking care of people who live in rural environments or refugees. Military options include: the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), the military loan repayment program for new enlistment and officer contracts, the Inter-service Physician Assistant Program (IPAP), the Medical Service Corps In Service Procurement Program (MSC IPP), and of course the post 9/11 GI Bill. Each of these programs has its advantages and disadvantages, and I've briefly touched on each one of those in this video. For much more information, please see these references and resources:

References/Resources:

In the video, I also discuss the possibility of using an enlistment to get patient care experience hours (PCE), obtain a bachelor's degree, and earn the GI bill to use for PA school, which is an excellent strategy for a younger person considering PA school or medical school!
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0:00 intro
0:25 National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
1:35 Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
4:58 loan repayment by the US military
7:37 Inter-service Physician Assistant Program (IPAP)
7:53 Medical Service Corps In Service Procurement Program (MSCIPP)
8:53 Post 9/11 GI Bill
9:30 free tuition and housing allowance
10:20 graduating debt free
11:20 enlisting in the Navy
11:43 benefits of enlisting
13:32 outro
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My name is Boris, I'm a Board-Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C)

This channel is all about living a happy, healthy life. I also make videos about getting into PA school, improving your CASPA application, and study skills!

***Disclaimer: I am not a PA School admissions professional. The advice I provide in my YouTube videos and any advice or feedback I provide during consulting sessions is for informational purposes only and is based on my own knowledge, experience, personal research, and success as a PA School applicant and student. I do not provide medical advice online. Nothing I say, write, or reference in my YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook posts is medical advice and any viewer that uses the information I provide does so at their own risk and assumes all risk with taking these actions. All of my content is for entertainment purposes only. All views expressed through email, in phone and video consulting sessions, on my YouTube channel, and in my Instagram and Facebook posts are my own and may not reflect the views or opinions of my school, employer, or anyone else.***

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[lovelylibra]

I have liked and saved this video so I can come back and watch it ! Thanks so much ! I am a foreign medical graduate with plans of going to PA school ❤

[ChristianPA]

Hey Boris, great video!

The NHSC gives much more than $50, 000. They cover your ENTIRE cost of school (tuition, books, equipment, health insurance, etc.) and give you a monthly stipend for living expenses as well as pay for relocation, travel costs for interviewing, etc. It's a total value of $150, 000-$200, 000 I'd estimate.

[shinyagrave]

I am enlisted, and I will drop IPAP application this year. Thank you for your videos they are so helpful!

[LifeofShea.]

Dude - I love your channel. Please keep posting!

[MarajMoon]

Hospital Corpsman of 9.5 years here! Currently working on my MSC-IPP packet, but I wanted to know other options in the case this route doesn't work. Your video was very helpful, thank you!

[DavidH]

Would love to get your input on my situation.

Im currently an undergrad but working towards med school. As it stands, im 100% p&t from the VA, and I have my 36 months of GI bill at 80%.

I was thinking of doing the VA HPSP, which would leave me owing the VA 6.5 years of service. Would it be worth it for me to go 100% debt free? Or am I just better off taking whatever loans I need and then aggressively paying them off once I start making some money?

[bostonflair]

Great info! I am looking into the HPSP. I just paid off 35k of my credit card so I am debt free because I didn't want to be stressed during PA school & trying to pay bills and go back into debt again for school so this sounds like the best option for me. Once I get my BS and get into PA school, is boot camp before PA school or after I graduate? From my understanding, it's PA school living my civilian life and then after I graduate, it's boot camp then active duty as a PA? TIA

[DonsDC]

Hey brother! I think the Veteran Affairs Physician Assistant option is currently open to veterans only at this time. Specifically for the PA route. For MD and nursing options it's open for civilian and veterans.

[sadiyahjahan]

I would love to do that way and I don't mind serving underserved community. As a Muslim we can't take a loan out that has a interest on it

[myoldvan]

If I sign up for any of the military programs, do I need to stay clean shaven while in school?

[crism]

HPSP is not an option for PA school right now.

[veronicasarabia]

Hi, what does in Soviet Russia taxes pay you means?

[saritaale]

How can international people get recruited in military?

[JosephAnthonee]

Does anyone know how competitive getting accepted into the HSCP scholarship ?

[enriquemejia]

Quick question. When you are repaying those 2 years to the VA, do you get a salary if so what kind of salary do you get?

[angeliqueangelique]

Good video! So, if I already have a bachelors and want to do PA school but I have a family what’s the best route? Sounds like you can do school and then work at one of the approved underserved area practices and apply for loan repayment? Is that while staying a civilian or enlisting? Can I do the one where I’m enlisted and my time in PA school is counted as enlisted years? I’m still a bit confused 😅

[topdawgkilla]

Hey Borris I was recently accepted and I was looking into the NHSC program. Do you think in the long run it's worth applying to? because I know they Pay their PAs less than what they would regularly be making.

[freeslavemind]

You have to be in school and accepted in order to apply for the HC?

[sinuzb]

Do you know the autonomy of a physician assistant in the military?