Paying Back your Health Program Loans: HRSA Resources

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HRSA Site: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-loan-repayment#nhsclrp

One of the (many) scary aspects about any health profession is the cost of attendance. Especially when many programs do not allow their students to work so as to promote focus on the necessary content to enter a health profession, the impending mountain of debt can be overwhelming.

However! Before you let the ticket shock get the better of you, there are ways of repaying back that debt after you graduate (beyond smart financial decisions, careful money management, etc.).

HRSA  Health Workforce is a great way of exploring your options for grants, loan repayment programs, and scholarships. This post will primarily focus on the Loan Repayment aspect, but links will be provided below for each program.

The HRSA loan repayment programs (LRP) include: the Nurse Corps LRP, National Health Service Corps (NHSC) LRP, Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) LRP, and Faculty (F) LRP. Each program outlines specific eligibility requirement and expected "service time" and locations for assistance.

Nurse Corps LRP

Eligibility:

  1. Registered Nurse (RN), Advanced Practice RN, or Nurse Faculty (NF)
  2. Received nursing education at an accredited school in the US (state or territory)
Amount: Up to 85% of unpaid nursing education debt.
Service Time: 2 years.
Area of Service: Critical Shortage Facility (CSF) or eligible school of nursing.

How/Where Nurse Corps Provide Care: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/about-us/nurse-corps-growth

NHSC Loan Repayment Program

An individual can apply to up to one of the following programs.

NHSC LRP

Eligibility: Licensure in...
  • Medical
    • Physician - Allopathic (MD) or Osteopathic (DO)
      • Family Medicine
      • General Internal Medicine
      • General Pediatrics
      • Obstetrics/Gynecology
      • Geriatrics
    • Physician Assistant (PA)
      • Adult
      • Family
      • Pediatric
      • Women’s Health
      • Geriatrics
    • Nurse Practitioner (NP)
      • Adult
      • Family
      • Pediatric
      • Women’s Health
      • Geriatrics
    • Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
    • Dental Care
      • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
      • General Dentistry
      • Pediatric Dentistry
    • Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD)
      • General Dentistry
      • Pediatric Dentistry
    • Dental Hygienist
  • Behavioral/Mental Health
    • Physician - Allopathic (MD) or Osteopathic (DO)
      • Psychiatry
    • Health Service Psychologist (HSP)
    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
    • Psychiatric Nurse Specialist (PNS)
    • Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT)
    • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
    • Physician Assistant (PA)
      • Mental Health & Psychiatry
    • Nurse Practitioner (NP)
      • Mental Health & Psychiatry
Service Time: 2 years
Location: NHSC-approved Site (Health Professional Shortage Area)
How to apply: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-loan-repayment-program.html

NHSC Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Workforce LRP

Goal: combat nation's opioid crisis.
Eligibility: Licensure in...
  • Physicians
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Certified nurse midwives
  • Physician assistants
  • Behavioral health professionals
  • Substance use disorder counselors
  • Registered nurses
  • Pharmacists
Service Time: 2 years
Location: NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility

NHSC Rural Community LRP*

Goal: combat the opioid epidemic in the nation's rural communities.
Eligibility: 
  • Allopathic/osteopathic physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Psychiatrists
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Certified nurse-midwives
  • Psychiatric nurse specialists
  • Health service psychologists
  • Licensed clinical social workers
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Licensed professional counselors
  • SUD counselors
  • Pharmacists
  • Registered nurses
  • Certified registered nurse anesthetists 
Service Time: 2 years
Location: rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility

NHSC Students to Service (S2S) LRP*

For students in their final year of medical, nursing, or dental school.

Eligibility: In a program for...
  • Physicians
    • Allopathic (MD)
    • Osteopathic (DO)
    • Family Medicine
    • General Internal Medicine
    • General Pediatrics
    • Geriatrics
    • Obstetrics/Gynecology
    • Psychiatry 
  • Nurse Practitioner (NP)
    • Adult Practice
    • Family Practice
    • Pediatrics
    • Women’s Health
    • Psychiatry
    • Geriatrics
  • Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
    • Women’s Health 
  • Dentists
    • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
    • Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD)
    • General Dentistry
    • Pediatric Dentistry 
Service Time: 3 years
Location: NHSC-approved site (HPSA)

*For States, the NHSC offers the State Loan Repayment Program as a cost-sharing program.

STAR LRP


Eligibility:
  1. Work in a full-time SUD treatment job.
  2. Job involves direct patient care in:
    1. county/municipality with an average drug overdose death rate (over 3 years) greater than the current national average.
    2. ~or~ a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (MHPSA).
  3. Trained, certified, registered, or licensed in:
    • Physician - Allopathic (MD) or Osteopathic (DO)
      • Addiction Medicine
      • Family Medicine
      • General Internal Medicine
      • General Pediatrics
      • Obstetrics/Gynecology
      • Geriatrics
      • Psychiatry
    • Physician Assistant (PA), Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Registered Nurse (RN)
      • Adult
      • Family
      • Pediatric
      • Women’s Health
      • Geriatrics
      • Mental Health & Psychiatry
    • Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
    • Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
    • Pharmacists (PHARM)
    • Health Service Psychologist (HSP)
    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
    • Psychiatric Nurse Specialist (PNS)
    • Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT)
    • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
    • Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselors
    • Psychology Doctoral Interns  
    • Clinical Support staff
      • Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
      • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
      • Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
      • Licensed Occupational Therapists
      • Medical Assistants
    • Behavioral Health Paraprofessionals
      • Community Health Workers
      • Peer Recovery Specialists
      • Case Managers
      • Health Navigators
Service Time: 6 years
Location: STAR LRP approved treatment facility

FLRP

Eligibility:
  1. Disadvantaged background based on environmental and economic factors.
  2. Eligible health professions degree/certificate.
  3. Faculty member at an approved health professions school (contract for 2 years or more).
Amount: Max $40k over 2 years.
Service Location: Eligible health professions school.

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