Until last year, the federal program that repays education loans for nurses required that they work only at non-profit facilities. The pandemic-related CARES Act eliminated that restriction in March 2020, allowing Nurse Corps members to serve at for-profit critical shortage facilities (CSFs). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined the change and determined that it’s too early to tell its effects. Officials at non-profit CSFs such as Critical Access Hospitals expressed concern that for-profit facilities can offer higher wages, resulting in fewer nurses willing to work at non-profit CSFs in rural and other underserved areas.
The report can be accessed here: GAO Examines Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program.