I have been a family nurse practitioner since 2014. My desire to become a nurse practitioner was driven by the experience I had volunteering at a local safety net clinic that served uninsured patients. I saw the intersection between social determinants of health and people’s health outcomes and wanted to be a part of the solution so pursued a career as a nurse practitioner with the dream of working at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).
Upon graduation, both the complexity of the FQHC patients and drastic difference in pay made this option feel out of reach; thankfully I did a NP residency at International Community Health Services (ICHS), an FQHC in Seattle, where I received more clinical support, and while I was there learned of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, as well as programs through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). I was fortunate enough to receive loan repayment from NHSC after applying for several years; I now work in Montana and Alaska. This allowed me to continue working at FQHCs throughout my career by offsetting the cost of loan repayment.
I am nearing 10 years as a full-time employee for an FQHC and am counting on my participation in the PSLF program to help me finish paying off my student loans. I have structured my career and financial plan around this program and am deeply concerned about any cuts to either the NHSC or PSLF program as this would be devastating to me, my colleagues, the clinics, and ultimately the patients we serve. As a clinician who has taken care of our most vulnerable patients for 10 years, these programs have allowed me to work for FQHC’s at a lower pay rate and continue my commitment to ensuring that all have access to high quality primary health care. These are vital programs and save the health care industry an incredible amount of money as they provide a more cost effective safety net than the ER.
Tell Us Your Health Center’s NHSC Impact Story
Help us emphasize to Congress the impact of the NHSC on the lives of individuals and families living in medically underserved communities. Please share with us how important the NHSC is to your health center. We need your help informing Congress how vital the NHSC is for providing healthcare access to their constituents!
Stay tuned for further updates, become an ACU Advocate, and encourage all of your colleagues to do so as well.
