UPDATE: Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program

eltrip · Jan 16, 2003

Thanks for the info!

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jan 18, 2003

for fy 2003, the following types of facilities have been determined to have a critical shortage of nurses:

indian health service health center - a health care facility (whether operated directly by the indian health service or operated by a tribe or tribal organization, contractor or grantee under the indian self-determination act, as described in 42 code of federal regulations (cfr) part 36, subparts h and i, or by an urban indian organization receiving funds under title v of the indian health care improvement act), that is physically separated from a hospital, and which provides clinical treatment services on an outpatient basis to persons of indian or alaskan native descent as described in 42 cfr section 36.12.

native hawaiian health center - an entity (a) that is organized under the laws of the state of hawaii; (b) that provides or arranges for health care services through practitioners licensed by the state of hawaii, where licensure requirements are applicable; © that is a public or nonprofit private entity; and (d) in which native hawaiian health practitioners significantly participate in the planning, management, monitoring, and evaluation of health services. see the native hawaiian health care act of 1988 (p.l. 100-579), as amended by p.l. 102-396.

hospital - any public or nonprofit private or for profit private entity that is primarily engaged in providing, by or under the supervision of physicians, to inpatients (a) diagnostic services and therapeutic services for medical diagnosis, treatment, and care of injured, disabled, or sick persons, or (b) rehabilitation of injured, disabled, or sick persons.

federally designated migrant health center - an entity that is receiving a grant under section 330(g) of the public health service act, as amended, to provide primary health services and other related services to migratory and seasonal agricultural workers.

federally designated community health center - an entity which is receiving a grant under section 330(e) of the public health service act, as amended, to provide primary health services and other related services to a population that is medically underserved.

federally designated public housing primary care health center - an entity which is receiving a grant under section 330(i) of the public health service act, as amended, to provide primary health services and other related services to residents of public housing.

federally qualified look-alike health center - an entity that is certified by the secretary as meeting the requirements for receiving a grant under section 330(e), 330(g), or 330 (i) of the public health service act, but is not a grantee.

rural health clinic - an entity that the centers for medicare and medicaid services (formerly the health care financing administration) has certified as a rural health clinic under section 1861(aa)(2) of the social security act. a rural health clinic provides outpatient services to a non-urban area with an insufficient number of health care practitioners.

nursing home - an institution (or a distinct part of an institution) as certified under section 1919(a) of the social security act, that is primarily engaged in providing, on a regular basis, health-related care and service to individuals who because of their mental or physical condition require care and service (above the level of room and board) which can be made available to them only through institutional facilities, and is not primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases.

home health agency - a public agency or private organization as certified under section 1861(o) of the social security act which is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care and other therapeutic services.

hospice program- a public agency or private organization as certified under section 1861(dd)(2) of the social security act which provides 24-hour care and treatment services (as needed) to terminally ill individuals and their families. this care is provided in individuals' homes, on an outpatient basis, and on a short-term inpatient basis, directly or under arrangements made by the agency or organization.

state or local public health department including a public health clinic within the department - the state, county, parish or district entity that is responsible for providing population focused health services which include health promotion, disease prevention and intervention services provided in clinics that are operated by the health department.

skilled nursing facility - an institution (or a distinct part of an institution) as certified under section 1819(a) of the social security act, which is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care and related services to residents requiring medical, rehabilitation or nursing care and is not primary for the care and treatment of mental diseases.

ambulatory surgical center - an entity that provides surgical services to patients who do not remain in the hospital overnight.

looks like every employment setting except doctor offices is covered! karen

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jan 21, 2003

Also check out: Nurse Education and Practice Grant Programs from HHS, Bureau of Health Professions:

Advanced Education Nursing FY 2003 application

Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship

Advanced Education Nursing-Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship

Basic Nurse Education and Practice FY 2003 application

Field Experiences in Public Health Nursing FY 2003 application

Geriatric Nursing Knowledge and Experiences in Long Term Care FY 2003 application

Nursing Workforce Diversity FY 2003 application

FY 2002 Grantees listed by state

http://www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/

TheBrainMusher · Jan 21, 2003

So basically if you are employed you can apply!:)

-jt · Jan 21, 2003

More like if youre an RN with outstanding nursing school loans that you would like help with paying & are willing to work where needed (which is practically anywhere & everywhere at this point), you can apply.

Deadline is March 31, 2003

TheBrainMusher · Jan 21, 2003

sorry, assumputions that were not stated in there! I being a prospective student..

-jt · Jan 21, 2003

The Nurse Education Loan Repayment Program helps those who are already nurses but still have school loans outstanding. The campanion law to that, The Nurse Reinvestment Act (NRA), is more for those who are not yet nurses. You might be interested in applying for that one once its implemented.

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for more info on the Nurse Reinvestment Act, see The American Journal of Nursing article in the Dec 2002 issue:

"What Could the Nurse Reinvestment Act Mean to You"

http://nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/dec/Wawatch.htm

Also, check with your state nurses association. Thanks to the hard work & political activity of a lot of pro-active RNs & their organizations, many states now have legislation to compliment these federal laws.

Legislation passed in 2001 to help fund nursing students:

Illinois legislation amends the Nursing Education Scholarship Law. Rhode Island legislation allows interest on student loans to be forgiven. Texas law makes grants to nursing programs to increase enrollment, so check with the school on that. Oregon legislation repays student loans for nurses practicing in nursing shortage areas. Two bills were passed in Nebraska - The first provides eligible students with a loan forgiveness program after practicing nursing for an agreed upon period. The second bill provides loan repayment to nurses who agree to practice in a shortage area (so a student takes out loans while in school & the state later forgives the loan or pays them back for her). Legislation passed in Virginia provides scholarships and loan repayment programs for nurses. In 2002, CA, CT, ME, MN, NV, NJ, NM, NY, and PA were also working on state laws to help nursing students go to school.

And dont forget the online scholarship search engines like http://www.FASTweb.com

http://www.REVIEW.com

http://www.SCHOLARSHIP.com and

http://www.SCHOLARSHIPCOACH.com

Nursing scholarships come up under nursing, medical, science, and health-related fields. A lot of scholarships are open to students in any "health sciences" major, and since nursing is in that grouping, you could apply for those too. There are even scholarships for adults returning to college. Just use the search buttons and profiles for what youre looking for. Also, by using your search engine (yahoo, aol, google, etc) and typing in "Nursing scholarships in Pennsylvania" or whatever your state, you'll get a list of local funding that you could apply for. State nurses associations, the nursing honor society, national student nurses association, other nursing organizations, and your local college may also offer scholarships or information on others that you could apply for. I found links to outside independent scholarship programs for my daughter to apply to (not in nursing) on her college's website. The page was broken down by major & there was a section there for nursing & health-related scholarships too. Lots of opportunities for funding from different sources if you have the time to search. Good luck.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jan 22, 2003

Another good site with nursing scholarship info is:

http://www.discovernursing.com/scholarship_search.asp

sunnygirl272 · Jan 22, 2003

how does one determine if they are employed by a facility with a "critical shortage"?

and does that mean that only hospital nurses are eligible?

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jan 22, 2003

See post #3--- all facilities listed are critical shortage facilities for 2003. If you work in one of them, have outstanding student loans: all registered nurse and MSN programs except Doctorate; meet eligibility guidelines then your eligible to apply.

First come....first served applies here!

sunnygirl272 · Jan 22, 2003

Originally posted by NRSKarenRN
See post #3--- all facilities listed are critical shortage facilities for 2003. If you work in one of them, have outstanding student loans: all registered nurse and MSN programs except Doctorate; meet eligibility guidelines then your eligible to apply.

First come....first served applies here!

sorry...blonde moment...missed that pst entirely...:imbar