Apply for NHSC Scholarship, Loan Repayment Assistance
March 29, 2023, News Staff — Just over 50 years ago, on May 23, 1972, Hubert McDonald Rimple, M.D., was named the inaugural director of the National Health Service Corps. That same day, NHSC’s sponsoring organization, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (precursor to HHS and the Department of Education), made the agency’s first major personnel assignment, sending more than 280 health care professionals to begin serving in 122 communities nationwide.
Fast forward to today, and NHSC’s mission to “build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care professionals dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care” continues.
Students, family medicine and primary care residents and residency graduates, and other primary care clinicians now can join that mission by committing to serve in a health professional shortage area for a designated period of time in exchange for financial support of their education.
NHSC Scholarship Program
A recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, Physician Education Debt and the Cost to Attend Medical School: 2020 Update, estimated the cost to attend four years of public medical school as topping $250,000; for private school, the cost exceeds $330,000.
To help mitigate those costs while serving the needs of the nation’s medically underserved residents, students pursuing training in eligible primary care health professions are invited to apply for the NHSC Scholarship Program. The program provides support for individuals enrolled full time in an eligible primary care health professions degree training program for a maximum of four school years. That support consists of
- payment of tuition and eligible fees,
- an annual payment to help cover other reasonable education-related costs (e.g., administrative fees, student activities fees, library fees, etc.) and
- monthly stipends to assist with living expenses while pursuing health professions degree training.
Program scholars commit to serve full time for a minimum of two years at an NHSC-approved site in a HPSA after graduation. The total number of years a scholar serves is based on the number of school years of support received.
Story Highlights
Eligibility requirements for the NHSC Scholarship Program are
- U.S. citizenship or U.S. national status;
- attendance at (or acceptance to attend) an accredited school or program located in a U.S. state or territory or the District of Columbia;
- enrollment as a trainee in an eligible discipline (i.e., physician [M.D. or D.O.], dentist [D.D.S. or D.M.D], nurse practitioner, physician assistant or certified nurse midwife);
- eligibility for federal employment; and
- no existing service obligation (unless authorized through a specified process).
More information is available in a Scholarship Program Fact Sheet. Interested students can also download a detailed NHSC Scholarship Program School Year 2023-24 Application and Program Guidance document to learn more. Scholarship applications must be submitted by 7:30 p.m. EDT on April 27. Successful applicants will be notified no later than Sept. 30.
NHSC Loan Repayment Programs
Of course, education-related expenditures don’t just magically stop after medical school. Although residents receive a salary during their residency, often it barely covers — if that — student loan payments and living expenses. Meanwhile, costs for exam prep, required testing and licensure keep adding up even as their student loan interest grows.
The good news is the financial assistance NHSC offers doesn’t stop after medical school, either. Primary care physicians and clinicians, various behavioral and mental health professionals, and others can apply for additional financial assistance through the NHSC Loan Repayment Program.
Three loan repayment program options are available. PCPs, NPs, PAs, CNMs, health service psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors are eligible to apply for all three programs. Other disciplines eligible to participate vary by program.
- NHSC LRP — Successful applicants for this program receive as much as $50,000 for full-time and $25,000 for part-time service in an NHSC-approved HPSA for a minimum two-year commitment. Participants may be eligible to extend loan repayment beyond their initial contract period. Review the 2023 NHSC LRP Application and Guidance document and NHSC LRP Fact Sheet to learn more about this opportunity.
- NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP — Awards available through this program total as much as $75,000 for full time-and $37,500 for part-time service for a three-year commitment in an NHSC-approved SUD site. Download the 2023 NHSC SUD Workforce LRP Application and Guidance document and NHSC SUD Workforce LRP Fact Sheet to learn more about this option.
- NHSC Rural Community LRP — With a specific focus on caring for individuals with SUD in rural areas, participants in this program receive up to $100,000 for full-time and $50,000 for part-time service for a three-year commitment in a rural NHSC-approved SUD site. Find more details in the 2023 NHSC Rural Community LRP Application and Guidance document and NHSC Rural Community LRP Fact Sheet.
Eligibility requirements for each LRP program are
- U.S. citizenship or U.S. national status;
- status as a participant (or eligible to participate) in Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, as appropriate;
- full training and licensure to practice in the NHSC-eligible health discipline and state in which applicant is applying to serve;
- status as a health professional in an eligible discipline with qualified student loan debt; and
- service at an NHSC-approved site.
One application exists for all three programs, but candidates may apply for only one of the three options. All applications must be submitted by 7:30 p.m. EDT on April 25, and successful applicants will be notified no later than Sept. 30.