Loan Repayment Opportunity, National Health Service Corps
 

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking primary-care health professionals to serve in the National Health Service Corps, offering up to $145,000 in loan repayment over 5 years.

To address shortages in the health professions, the National Health Service Corps places trained and licensed health-care professionals in high-need rural and urban areas where health care can often be scarce. The program offers scholarships and loan repayment to health professionals—including licensed clinical social workers—in exchange for service in the corps for a minimum of 2 years. Corps workers must serve in approved health-care sites, which include federally supported health centers, rural health clinics, Indian Health Service clinics, public health department clinics, hospital-affiliated primary care practices, managed care networks, prisons, and U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement sites.

Thanks to recent initiatives such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as well as health-care reform legislation, the National Health Service Corps plans to recruit an additional 4,000 members. The federal government will provide an initial award of $50,000 in loan repayment in exchange for 2 years of full-time service in the corps, and $50,000 for 4 years of half-time service (the half-time option was created via the health-care reform legislation). Participants can serve in the National Health Service Corps beyond the initial 2- or 4-year commitment, earning up to $145,000 in loan repayment over 5 years.

The deadline for applications for full-time service is July 29, 2010. Visit the National Health Service Corps application website for further details.