Essentia Health urges Department of Education to reconsider proposed changes to graduate student loan policy

Essentia Health today submitted a public comment urging the U.S. Department of Education to reconsider its proposed changes to graduate student loan policies. Essentia joined over 46,000 individuals and organizations in submitting comments on the issue, outlining significant workforce development, training and financial concerns that would restrict access to health care.

If the proposed rule took effect, many health care fields, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, would no longer be considered professional degrees. This would limit how much money students can borrow from federal student loan programs for these roles, making it more difficult for students to afford graduate-level education costs.

"Essentia is deeply concerned about these proposed changes and their effect on the future of our workforce. By limiting access to financial aid for those seeking advanced health care degrees, the proposed policy changes will shrink the pipeline of future providers," said Essentia Health assistant chief medical officer and nurse practitioner Christie Erickson. "The effects of these changes will be felt most acutely in rural areas that already struggle to recruit and retain clinicians. Facing these workforce shortages, we should be making it easier for students to choose advanced health care professions, not more difficult."

The proposed rule revises the department’s administrative definition of “professional degree” programs, excluding nursing, physician assistants, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work and education from the list of qualifying health care fields.

The College of St. Scholastica also shared their concerns regarding the proposed rule and its effects on the health care workforce in the Northland.

"With nearly 65% of our student body enrolled in healthcare or pre-professional programs, The College of St. Scholastica is a primary engine for our regional health care workforce. Any barrier to their education is a direct threat to the health of our community," said Dr. Ryan Sandefer, Senior Vice President and Provost at the College of St. Scholastica. "These graduate students are the very individuals who fill critical gaps in our region's significant provider shortages. Without the ability to borrow the funds needed for their education, fewer students can pursue degrees that lead to stable, well-paying careers, and the patients in our region will be directly affected by the reduction in providers. We stand with Essentia Health in calling for the preservation of robust financial aid options to ensure our workforce remains strong and our communities remain healthy."

Essentia’s primary concerns with the policy changes include:

• Financial impact: Graduate nursing students and other health care professions will face reduced borrowing limits for federal student loans, making it more difficult to afford and attain advanced degrees in health care.
• Disruption to workforce and educator pipelines: Advanced practice nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse educators all require graduate-level preparation. By constraining access to federal financing for these programs, the revised definition threatens the pipeline of highly trained professionals needed to meet growing health care demands and train the next generation of health care providers.
• Future access to care: At a time when health systems nationwide are already experiencing clinician shortages, the proposed borrowing limits would negatively impact the provider workforce and threaten health care access, especially in rural and underserved communities. In Essentia Health’s East Market, for example, about 44% of all patient encounters and 88% of all urgent care visits are with an advanced practice provider. In Essentia's West Market, over 90% of all urgent care visits are with an advanced practice provider.

The public comment period closes on Tuesday, March 3. Essentia is encouraging other health care workers and organizations to express their concerns with the proposed policy changes before then.