As part of ongoing efforts to encourage students to consider careers in health care, a new bill (HR 2891) has been introduced by Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley that seeks loan repayment options for medical professionals working in areas that have a shortage of frontline care services.

This new student loan repayment program aims to help recruit a variety of health professionals to currently underserved areas. Professions considered for the bill include pediatricians, respiratory therapists, medical technologists and radiologic technologists.

To qualify for the repayment option, graduating students would agree to provide frontline care services full time for a period of no less than two years at a health care facility serving a scarcity area.

Medical school tuition debt is a large factor in choosing where to work

This bill would be similar to the Rural Iowa Provider Education (RIPE) Program enacted at Des Moines University, which provides the equivalent of six full tuition scholarships to students enrolled in the Rural Medicine Educational Pathway. In return, DMU graduates agree to maintain a full time primary care medical practice in an approved Iowa community for a period of four years.

The tuition debt load from medical school is a known barrier for students when deciding where to serve in their profession, but perhaps programs like the Frontline Providers Loan Repayment Act can help alleviate some of that stress for students.

If this bill were to be passed, would you consider working in a frontline care scarcity area? What other factors are part of your decision process? Let us know in the comments.