National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps Programs - Home

General Information:

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) funds loan repayment and scholarship programs to assist states with recruitment and retention of health care providers, based on federally designated health professional shortage areas (HPSA). The Primary Care Office (PCO) serves as a liaison for the state, to conduct program outreach and to help facilities achieve and maintain status as approved NHSC sites to host providers participating in these programs.

The loan repayment funds are available through a competitive application process, where higher HPSA scores are given priority. For scholarships, HPSA baseline scores are set each year. Nevada has very high HPSA scores in most of the state, with top tier competitive scores in 88% of our mental health HPSAs, and in 68% and 67% of our primary care and dental HPSAs, respectively.

Staff from the Nevada PCO are available to do presentations about the National Health Service Corps, on request. Groups may be small or large, including students, interns, residents, faculty, and all types of health care employers, private or public. Contact the PCO for more information.

All approved NHSC sites are listed online at the HRSA data warehouse. 

NHSC Site Application

The NHSC accepts new site applications on an annual basis, within specified time frames. You can sign up for notifications of when the site application opens and get more information online at the federal website: http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/sites/index.html

NHSC sites must:

• Be located in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA); 
• Provide primary care, dental, or mental and behavioral health services; 
• Ensure access to ancillary, inpatient, and specialty referrals; 
• Provide services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay; 
• Accept patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and Nevada Check-Up; 
• Provide a twelve-month billing summary;
  • Private Practices (Solo/Group) must submit a 12-month billing summary
   
• Not discriminate in the provision of services; 
• Use a provider credentialing process when hiring; 
• Agree not to reduce a provider’s salary due to NHSC support; 
• Provide a supportive environment; 
• Provide sound fiscal management; 
• Provide services on a free or reduced fee schedule basis to individuals at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. 

NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program

The NHSC Loan Repayment Program application cycle usually opens January through March and the NHSC Scholarship Program application cycle usually opens March through May. Both programs are available for individuals from the following medical training programs:

Scholarship Program

• Physician: MD or DO
• Dentist: DDS or DMD
• Nurse Practitioner: master’s degree or post-master’s certificate
• Certified Nurse-Midwife: master’s degree or post-master’s certificate
• Physician Assistant: associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree

Loan Repayment Program

• Physician: MD or DO
• Dentist: DDS or DMD
• Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)
• Nurse Practitioner: master's degree or post-master's certificate
• Certified Nurse-Midwife: master's degree or post-master's certificate
• Physician Assistant: associate, bachelor's or master's degree
• Psychologist
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
• Psychiatric Nurse Specialist (PNS)
• Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT)
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

• Lucia's Story
• Learn more about the 2021 loan repayment and scholarship opportunities in this video presentation!

Application Forms

Information and forms are available online at the federal website http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/

Nurse Corps

The NURSE Corps funds loan repayment and scholarship programs for nursing providers and nursing educators to assist states in the training, recruitment, and retention of nurses. Nurses must either work in a public or private Critical Shortage Facility or be nurse faculty employed at an accredited school of nursing. A Critical Shortage Facility is either located in or serves the population of a federally designated primary care or mental health professional shortage area (HPSA). The Primary Care Office (PCO) serves as a liaison for the state to provide NURSE Corps program technical assistance to applicants and program participants.

Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs

The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program application cycle is usually open January through February and the NURSE Corps Scholarship Program application cycle is usually open in March through May. The Scholarship Program is available to those who have accepted or are enrolled in a diploma, associates or collegiate school of nursing or a nursing bridge program (RN to BSN, RN to MSN-NP, Direct Entry MSN-NP). The scholarship includes funding for tuition, reasonable educational costs, and includes a monthly stipend.

The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program pays down 60% of qualifying educational loan balance for a 2 year service commitment at a Critical Shortage Facility. Loan repayment funds are available through a competitive application process in which financial need, facility type and higher HPSA scores are given preference. For nurse faculty, funding preference is based on financial need of the applicant, and employment at schools of nursing where at least half of the enrolled students come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Nevada Sites are Competitive for NURSE Corps Participant Placement and Funding

Clinical nurse loan repayment funding and scholarship recipient placement are prioritized based on higher HPSA scores. Nevada has very high HPSA scores in most of the state, with top tier competitive scores in 88% of our mental health HPSAs, and in 68% of our primary care HPSAs.

Staff from the Nevada PCO are available to do presentations about the NURSE corps, on request. Groups may be small or large, including students, interns, nurses, faculty, and all types of health care employers, private or public.