Editor’s Note: In this follow-up piece to last month’s article on Student Debt, the National Health Service Corps and Other Programs that Can Help, we offer a closer look at the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) scholarship and loan forgiveness programs. The data below were provided courtesy of the NHSC and IHS.
As current and prospective osteopathic medical students prepare to manage the significant debt burden resulting from the rising costs of education, learning about and taking advantage of opportunities such as the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Indian Health Service (IHS) scholarship and loan repayment programs can make a considerable financial difference. For community members in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), having access to the NHSC- or IHS-approved health clinics and other sites can mean the difference between receiving quality medical care and not receiving the health care they require.
The NHSC, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was established to provide high-quality care to underserved populations, such as rural states and inner-city communities. More than 3,800 physicians and other NHSC health care clinicians provide primary care services to approximately 4 million individuals in designated HPSAs across the nation.
Osteopathic medical students and others pursuing specified health care degrees may be eligible to apply to the NHSC Scholarship Program, which provides funding for tuition and other related fees, as well as providing scholars with a monthly living stipend ($1,269 in 2009-2010). Scholarship recipients must agree to serve full-time at an NHSC-approved site after graduation; a one-year scholarship requires the recipient to work for one year at an NHSC-approved site. The sites include rural health clinics, IHS clinics and hospital-affiliated primary care practices across the country. In 2009, 19 osteopathic medical students received NHSC scholarships (roughly 12 percent of awardees), in addition to 158 other students pursuing the following degrees: allopathic medicine (MD), dentistry (DDS or DMD), family nurse practitioner (master’s degree or post-graduate certificate), certified nurse-midwife (master’s degree or post-graduate certificate) and physician’s assistant (associate, bachelor or master’s degree). Since 2005, osteopathic medical students have accounted for approximately 20 percent (or 1,233) of 6,337 applicants to the NHSC Scholarship Program. Osteopathic medical students awarded with scholarships have accounted for roughly 19 percent (or 118) of the 618 total awardees during that time. In 2008 135 osteopathic medical students applied to the scholarship program, accounting for 19 percent of 711 total applicants; nearly 25 percent (or 23) of 93 scholarships were awarded to osteopathic medical students that year.
The NHSC recently made significant revisions to its Loan Repayment Program (LRP), resulting in a more user-friendly application process. Last year, as a result of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), NHSC received $200 million, doubling the anticipated amount of LRP funding. Primary care clinicians who currently work in or are interested in working in underserved communities may be eligible to receive up to $50,000 in medical education loan repayments each year. Individuals with qualifying educational loans of less than $50,000 may receive the full amount of their outstanding loans. Clinicians in the program must agree to provide full-time clinical care for a minimum of two years at an NHSC-approved site. Currently, there are more than 9,000 job vacancies for program participants in NHSC-approved sites across the nation, and that number grows daily.
According to NHSC, between 2005 and 2008, doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) have accounted for only 5 to 7 percent of NHSC LRP applicants and 4 to 7 percent of awardees. In 2008, 2,716 individuals applied to the NHSC LRP; 156 (or 5.7 percent) of applicants were DOs. That same year, osteopathic physicians composed 6 percent (or 52) of 862 LRP recipients.
The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within HHS, is dedicated to providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. American Indian and Alaska Native students enrolled in health professions and allied health professions programs are eligible to apply for the Health Professions Scholarship Program, provided that they are federally recognized members of their Tribe. Scholarships are awarded, with priority often given to graduates, junior- and senior-level students, for a period of one year. Students can receive scholarships for up to four years of full-time enrollment or up to eight years of part-time study, but they must re-apply at the end of each year.
The IHS also offers a Loan Repayment Program for up to $20,000 a year in exchange for a two-year service agreement which the recipient must fulfill at an IHS-approved site. IHS-approved sites are spread across the country in 35 states; physicians serving at those locations provide care in approximately 48 hospitals and more than 230 clinics.
In 2008, according to the IHS, DOs accounted for 29 percent of IHS LRP awardees; in 2009, 21 percent of LRP awardees were osteopathic physicians.
For more information, visit the NHSC and IHS web sites.