Lincoln – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is offering an incentive program providing up to $100,000 in student loan payments for bachelor’s level registered nurses who agree to work at nonprofits or National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites in federally designated shortage areas.
The NHSC Nebraska State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) offers loan repayment assistance for primary care, dental, and mental health professionals who agree to practice for a minimum of two years at an NHSC site in Nebraska. The length of participation is capped at four years. Awards are also available for pharmacists and – new this year – to registered nurses (RN). RNs must have bachelor’s level training.
Doctors, dentists, and pharmacists are eligible for up to $50,000 in loan relief per year, while other medical professions are eligible for up to $25,000 per year.
“I strongly feel that the rural loan repayment program is a vital asset to small communities in the recruitment and retention of present and future health care providers. It has given my family and me an abundance of student loan relief, which we are as grateful for as we are to be living in and giving back to small-town rural Nebraska,” said Darian Nordhues, APRN-NP with the Valley County Health System in Ord, NE.
“It is a privilege to serve in rural Nebraska, and the loan repayment program is a great resource to utilize while gaining practice experience in communities with limited access to healthcare,” said Amanda Wolff, ARPN in Neligh, NE in Antelope County.
Applicants must have employment confirmed at a site in a qualifying shortage area before submitting an application. For more information on how to apply for these programs, and the qualifying shortage areas and sites, please click here. There are no matching funds required from the worksite or local entity, however, a designated contact to verify the provider’s work quarterly is necessary.
