National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program

1. National Health Service CorpsScholarship and Loan Repayment Program

2. The National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program is a federal program administered through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Health Professions

3. The National Health Service Corps Program is committed to expanding access to health care in America’s underserved communities – in rural and inner-city areas where economic, geographic, and cultural barriers prevent people from seeking and receiving the health care they deserve.

4. National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program The NHSC recruits primary health care students who are U.S. citizens enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a fully accredited U.S.: • Allopathic or Osteopathic School • Dental School • Family Nurse Practitioner Program (master’s degree in nursing, post master’s, or post baccalaureate certificate • Nurse-Midwifery Program (master’s degree in nursing, post-master’s, or post-baccalaureate certificate) • Physician Assistant Program (certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or master’s program)

5. Medical students participating in the NHSC Scholarship Program must complete their residency programs in one of the following specialties: • Family Medicine • General Pediatrics • General Internal Medicine • Obstetrics/Gynecology • Psychiatry • Rotating Internship (for D.O.s only) with request to complete training in one of the specialties above • Dental Scholars may complete residencies in general practice or pediatric dentistry

6. National Health Service Corps Scholars begin serving their commitment upon completion of their training or residency. Scholars choose their practice site from a NHSC-provided list of rural and urban communities where the health care needs are the greatest. The commitment requires full-time clinical primary health care practice for 1 year for each full or partial year of scholarship support, with a 2-year minimum. The scholarship covers: • Tax-free payment of tuition and fees for up to 4 years of education. • Twelve monthly stipend payments per year of scholarship support. Stipend payments are taxed. • Payment of other reasonable educational expenses such as books, supplies, and equipment.

7. National Health Service Corps is currently recruiting the following primary care clinicians or primary care disciplines that are eligible to apply for NHSC Loan Repayment: • Allopathic or Osteopathic Physicians (specializing in Family Medicine, General Pediatrics, General Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology or General Psychiatry • Primary Care Nurse Practitioners • Primary Care Physician Assistants • Certified Nurse-Midwives • Dentists • Dental Hygienists • Mental or Behavioral Health Professionals (Clinical or Counseling Psychologist, Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, or Psychiatric Nurse Specialist)

8. National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program The NHSC Loan Repayment Program repays up to $50,000 of qualifying educational loans in exchange for a 2-year service commitment in a health professional shortage area of greatest need. Opportunities to continue loan repayment beyond 2 years, on an annual basis, may also be available. In addition to being a fully trained health professional in a discipline or specialty for which NHSC is recruiting, the professional must: • Commit to providing primary care service in a health professional shortage area of greatest need for a minimum of two years. • Serve full time (40 hours per week) in a clinical practice of their profession • Be a U.S. citizen with a valid, unrestricted health care license or certificate for the State where they plan to practice • Be free of judgment liens arising from Federal debt • Have no other existing service commitment

9. To qualify for NHSC assistance, the site the scholar or loan repayment recipient practices at must: • Be located in a federally designated health professional shortage area • Serve high-need populations in a rural or urban area • Accept Medicaid/Medicare assignments • Maintain a discounted fee schedule that assures there is no financial barrier to care for those who are at or below 200 percent of the federally designated poverty level • Function as part of a system of care that assures access to the full continuum of services (referral and hospitalization) • Be a health facility that maintains full-time practice hours

10. Visit National Health Service Corps on the Web at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/