About the NHSC
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC), through scholarship and loan repayment programs, helps Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in the U.S. get the medical, dental, and mental health providers they need to meet their tremendous need for health care.
Since 1972, more than 30,000 clinicians have served in the Corps, expanding access to health care services and improving the health of people who live in urban and rural areas where health care is scarce.
About half of all NHSC clinicians work in Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-supported Health Centers, which deliver preventive and primary care services to patients regardless of their ability to pay. About 40 percent of Health Center patients have no health insurance.
Scholarship
The NHSC scholarship is a competitive program that pays tuition, fees and provides a living stipend to students enrolled in accredited medical (MD or DO), dental, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, and physician assistant training. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients serve as primary care providers between 2 and 4 years in a community-based site in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) that has applied to and been approved by the NHSC as a service site.
Awards are made to applicants most committed to serving underserved people and most likely to build successful careers in HPSAs and meet future needs for care throughout the Nation.
Loan Repayment
The NHSC Loan Repayment Program offers fully trained primary care physicians (MD or DO), family nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, and certain mental health clinicians $60,000 to repay student loans in exchange for 2 years serving in a community-based site in a high-need HPSA that has applied to and been approved by the NHSC as a service site.
After completing their 2 years of service, loan repayors may apply for additional years of support.
The loan repayment program recruits both clinicians just completing training and seasoned professionals to meet the immediate need for care throughout the Nation.
Did You Know?
- The NHSC has more than 7,500 clinicians and more than 10,000 sites
- More than 7 million people receive health care from NHSC clinicians
- There are more than 9,000 job vacancies for NHSC primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians
