Forgive Student Loans For Healthcare Workers

Last Updated on January 19, 2023

The healthcare industry is a crucial part of society, but it’s also one of the most unforgiving. If you’re a nurse, doctor, or other medical professional, you know that it can be hard to find a job that fits your schedule and allows you time to study. You may have student loan debt that you’re struggling to pay off on top of everything else.

That’s why we’re excited to announce our new program: Forgive Student Loans For Healthcare Workers!

This unique program will help healthcare workers who are looking for forgiveness on their student loan debt. We know how hard it can be to work in this field and make ends meet, so we want to help those who are struggling with their loans get back on track by forgiving some or all of their debt.

Forgive Student Loans For Healthcare Workers

Like other public service employees, healthcare providers who work at nonprofit or government organizations can qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. You can also sign up for an income-driven repayment plan to pay off your federal loans. This lowers monthly payments to a percentage of your income—resulting in forgiveness of any remaining balance after 20 or 25 years.

Beyond these widely available programs, there are other options specific to healthcare workers, as well:

To get student loan help based on service, healthcare grads often must commit to working in an underserved region, for a specific government agency or in a high-need specialty.
Several states have programs that offer loan repayment or forgiveness to healthcare providers working in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA). They may forgive a certain amount of loan debt after a period of service, but often they provide repayment assistance for a fixed time frame to offset a participant’s loan bills.
8 Loan Forgiveness Options for Healthcare Workers
Student loan repayment and forgiveness programs can limit the amount you’re required to pay back. And it’s not just physicians who may qualify for student loan forgiveness based on their healthcare service.

Student loan forgiveness for nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, licensed clinical social workers, dentists, veterinarians, researchers and more all have programs available. Here are some you should consider.

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Programs
The National Health Service Corps, run by the federal Health Resources & Services Administration, offers three different loan repayment programs for healthcare providers. These offer loan repayment assistance in exchange for at least two or three years of service in certain locations:

NHSC Loan Repayment Program: This option is for primary care medical, dental or mental health providers. In exchange for two years of employment in an HPSA, you can receive up to $50,000 in loan repayment for full-time work or up to $25,000 for part-time work. A contract extension beyond two years is possible, which can help you pay off up to your remaining outstanding loan balance.
NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program: This option is for trained and licensed substance use disorder treatment providers, particularly for opioid addiction. You must work in a primary care medical, dental or mental health discipline at an NHSC-approved substance use disorder treatment site in a HPSA. You can get up to $75,000 for three years of full-time work or $37,500 for part-time work.
NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program: Also focused on providers of substance use and opioid addiction treatment, this program provides a larger amount of student loan repayment assistance if you commit to working in a rural area. You can earn up to $100,000 in assistance for three years of full-time work or $50,000 for part-time work.
The same application applies to all three programs, but you can only apply for one program in total.

NHSC Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program
Nurses have an additional NHSC-run loan repayment assistance program to choose from: Nurse Corps. If you’re a registered nurse, advanced practice registered nurse or nurse faculty, you could have up to 85% of your outstanding nursing school debt paid off.

To qualify, you must work in an eligible critical shortage facility or an accredited school of nursing at least 32 hours per week. The student loan repayment award is 60% of debt paid off over two years plus another 25% paid off for an optional third year.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Programs
Clinical researchers focused on biomedical or biobehavioral research can receive up to $50,000 in loan repayment per year from the NIH—whether they’re working at an NIH lab or for an external employer on research deemed critical for the NIH.

You must have a doctoral degree, such as an M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D., Psy.D. or D.D.S., and your student loan debt must equal or exceed 20% of your salary.

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program
The federal Indian Health Service awards up to $40,000 in loan repayment to clinicians who commit to two years of service in healthcare facilities focused on serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

A wide range of professions can qualify, from advanced practice nurses to physical therapists (with a master’s or doctoral degree) to licensed acupuncturists.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service Program
This two-year postgraduate fellowship is an opportunity for physicians, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists and more to investigate epidemiological outbreaks, natural disasters or other public health issues for the CDC. You may be assigned to a state or local office or to the CDC headquarters.

One of the benefits is up to $50,000 per year in student loan repayment, depending on funding availability. Only federal student loans qualify for repayment.

State-specific Programs
In addition to federal agencies, many states offer forgiveness programs for healthcare workers. These programs often require participants to work in rural communities, HPSAs or other high-need areas.

Here are a couple examples of state-specific programs for healthcare workers:

Georgia: Doctors in primary care specialties can earn up to $25,000 per year for four years when working full-time in rural areas in Georgia through the Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance Program.
Ohio: The Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program also provides $25,000 per year in loan repayment for two years and $35,000 per year for optional third and fourth years to eligible healthcare workers in HPSAs.
Award amounts and service commitments vary—and whether or not the award amount is taxable as income depends on the program. To find state opportunities specific to your discipline, check with your school or explore lists maintained by industry organizations like the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Dental Education Association.

No matter the type of care you provide, you’ll most likely find a program that will reward you for working in locations particularly in need of your talents.

student loan forgiveness for frontline health workers act how to apply

How big a contribution has been made depends on the hours an individual has worked, what care they have given to patients, what medical research on the virus they have contributed to.

There will also be a consideration for those who have taken part in testing and improving the capacity of the US healthcare system so it can cope with the influx of new patients as a result of the virus ripping though the population over the past two years.

Who can apply?

Anyone who is eligible to apply for these forgiveness periods can do so at this moment, however the list of those who are eligible is as follows:

  • Nurses
  • Doctors
  • Medical researchers
  • Lab workers
  • Other healthcare professionals who are responding to the pandemic
  • Professionals who have moved their normal expertise to support the needs required by the pandemic

If you are a healthcare worker, you may qualify for federal student loan forgiveness. Student loan forgiveness programs can provide significant debt relief. In order to qualify for federal student loan forgiveness, you must: 

  • Be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or non-profit organization;
  • Work full-time;
  • Have direct loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a direct loan);
  • Repay your loans under an income driven repayment plan; and
  • Make 120 qualifying payments (10 years of qualifying payments).

Healthcare workers at public hospitals or not-for-profit hospitals may be able to take advantage of public service loan forgiveness (PSLF). Be sure to check with your loan servicer to determine whether you have eligible loans.  For example, healthcare workers who have private student loans do not qualify for public service student loan forgiveness for their non-federal loans; neither do healthcare workers who work for for-profit organizations. 

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