Best way to pay off student loan debt?

[cblue152]

Hi everyone! I've seen multiple posts about the whole HRSA Loan Repayment program, but they left me feeling more confused than the official website. It seems that it is a highly competitive program, is this true? According to their website at hrsa.gov, these things qualify:

Clinics

• Federally Qualified Health Center*, Indian Health Service Health Center*, Native Hawaiian Health Center*, Rural Health Clinic*, Public Health Clinic*
  

Hospitals

• Any public* or private nonprofit acute care or rehabilitation hospital, including Disproportionate Share Hospitals* and Critical Access Hospitals*
  

Inpatient Nursing Facilities

• Skilled nursing facility*, nursing home
  

Outpatient Facilities

• Ambulatory surgical center
  

Service Providers

• Home health agency, hospice, State or local public health or human services department*
  

So the website leads me to believe that you are eligible as long as you work for *any* acute care hospital. So why do some sites put such an emphasis on critical access hospitals? It also says that disproportionate share hospitals qualify, but I've searched the internet high and low and can't seem to find out which hospitals fall into that category.

On their site is also gives a link to finding "Health Professional Shortage Areas"- http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/HPSASearch.aspx.

This list has way more places listed on it that are not on any Critical Shortage lists I've seen. So basically, how do I know which place to choose?

Yet another site, that I can't even find anymore, listed about 50 places around St. Louis that are in a "shortage area", but these places are also not listed on any Critical Access lists. What's the difference?

[cblue152]

http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/HPSASearch.aspx

This link lists places in my state and includes scores. If the score is higher, then is that a good place to work in order to qualify for the loan repayment program? Even though those places aren't technically on a Critical Access list?

[smithb10935]

I will have to look into this. I'm sinking in student loan debt. I have consolidated my government loans with a monthly payment of $165, and I have 2 private student loans together totaling $400. Yes, I pay $565/month in student loans. Really sucks that it's almost 1/4 of my monthly pay! I am sinking very fast, and barely able to make my payments. Is there help out there?