UPMC offering loan forgiveness for nursing students
Students are eligible to receive up to $7,000 per semester in tuition loan forgiveness for all remaining semesters.
Photo: FG Trade/Getty Images
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is attempting to address the national nursing shortage through a new program designed to make it more affordable for student nurses to complete their education and join the workforce.
The UPMC Schools of Nursing Tuition Loan Forgiveness program will help alleviate financial obstacles for students pursuing a nursing career, the university said this week.
Starting in January 2023, students who enroll and successfully complete their first semester at a UPMC School of Nursing location and meet academic requirements are eligible to receive up to $7,000 per semester in tuition loan forgiveness for all remaining semesters, with a commitment to work three years at a UPMC facility following graduation.
One of the program's goals is to make the nursing school more accessible to prospective students and to offer flexible programs for students seeking employment around their class schedules.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
UPMC has six hospital-based nursing schools that combine clinical experience with academics, with campuses at UPMC Hamot, Harrisburg, Jameson, Mercy, St. Margaret and Shadyside.
The nursing schools allow students to earn a nursing diploma in as little as 16 months at a cost that is less than the average cost of one year of college tuition, the university said. Graduates who are working at a UPMC facility also can receive tuition reimbursement if they choose to pursue a BSN.
UPMC Schools of Nursing also participate in grant and loan programs for students with financial need and have full accreditation and approval from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
Other UPMC initiatives include a $10,000 graduate nurse sign-on bonus, with a two-year employment commitment; a monthly loan repayment program to inpatient/procedural, surgical services and emergency department RNs, graduating through 2023; and the creation of UPMC Travel Staffing, an internal travel staffing agency to provide support for frontline caregivers in the areas of nursing, surgical technologists, and echocardiography sonographers.
UPMC's enrollment deadline for the spring semester is October 31.
THE LARGER TREND
When the American Nurses Association called on the Department of Health and Human Services last year to declare the nursing shortage a national crisis, it cited COVID-19 as a complicating factor that has exacerbated underlying chronic nursing workforce shortage challenges. While the initial focus at the start of the pandemic was on equipment shortages and a dearth of ventilators and personal protective equipment, the ANA said the focus must now shift to the human resource shortage, which the group cited as "more dire" and potentially threatening to patient care.
The group provided numbers that highlight the extent of the challenge. Mississippi, for example, has seen a decrease of 2,000 nurses since the beginning of 2021, while hospitals in Tennessee are operating with 1,000 fewer staff members than at the beginning of the pandemic, prompting them to call on the National Guard for reinforcements.
At the same time, Texas is recruiting 2,500 nurses from outside the state, a number that still will fall short of expected demand; meanwhile, Louisiana had more than 6,000 unfilled nursing positions open across the state before the Delta variant caused a surge in cases.
An April survey from the American Nurses Foundation found that the pandemic is causing 92% of nurses to consider leaving the workforce. Nearly half cite insufficient staffing as one of the primary reasons.
Hospitals are experiencing nursing shortages for several reasons, including the possibility that nurses could get $150 an hour as a traveling nurse, in contrast to the $48 an hour they are paid as hospital staff.
In other cases, nurses had to choose between work and having children at home while schools were not holding in-person sessions. Some nurses who were close to retirement chose to leave while others left for work outside of acute care settings.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
