Health
Professions Student Scholarships, Loan Repayments and Fellowships
West Virginia
is pioneering new approaches to educating medical and other health professions
students in rural settings through the West Virginia Rural Health
Education Partnerships. The goal of these community-based training
programs is to increase the number of primary care providers in rural
West Virginia.
To further
these efforts, the state is targeting financial incentives and support
to primary care and rural practice. Scholarships, loans, and loan repayment
are offered to:
- Help
students enhance and extend their training in rural, underserved areas;
- Pay
the educational expenses of students who make a commitment to primary
care and rural practice; and
- Encourage
new graduates to practice in underserved areas of the state.
Eligibility
requirements, benefits, obligations, and application procedures for
these programs vary. But, taken as a whole, they offer a unique opportunity
to experience the challenges and rewards of rural practice in West Virginia.
In some cases, individuals may qualify for several programs and can
later apply to fulfill the practice obligations concurrently. For information
on practice opportunities, contact the Health Professions Clearinghouse
in the :
Division
of Rural Health and Recruitment
Bureau for Public Health
1-888-442-3456 (toll free)
304-558-4382
Visit the Web site for
the clearinghouse
Programs
include:
This program, authorized by the West Virginia Legislature in 1995, provides
a scholarship incentive for students to complete their training in primary
care and practice in underserved rural areas of the state. The program
is funded by state appropriation.
Eligibility:
Fourth-year medical students at a West Virginia school of medicine or
osteopathy who are entering primary care internships or residency programs
in West Virginia; and students who are in the final year of a primary
care educational program in West Virginia for nurse practitioners or
physician assistants, or a master’s degree nursing program in West
Virginia leading to a career in nursing education; and students who are in the final year of a graduate program in physical therapy.
Although in-state residency is not a requirement, awarding preference
will be given to West Virginia residents.
Benefits:
$20,000 scholarship award for medical students and $10,000 for other
disciplines. Awards are made by the Vice-Chancellor for Health Sciences,
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, based on recommendations
of an advisory panel.
Obligation:
Medical, nurse practitioner, physician assistant students, and physical therapy must sign
a contract to practice in an underserved area of the state (Health Professional
Shortage Area or other area designated as underserved by the West Virginia
Bureau for Public Health) for a minimum of two years upon completion
of training. Nurse educators must teach in an approved undergraduate
nursing program in the state for at least two years. The penalty for
not fulfilling the service obligation is repayment of the scholarship
with interest.
For more
information, contact:
Alicia Tyler
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
1018 Kanawha Blvd., East, Suite 700
Charleston, WV 25301-2827
304-558-0530; (FAX) 304-558-0532
E-mail: tyler@hepc.wvnet.edu
This program
provides loans to students at schools of medicine or osteopathy in West
Virginia. The program is funded by an annual set-aside of state medical
student fees.
Eligibility:
Students must be accepted for enrollment or be enrolled full-time in
a West Virginia school of medicine or osteopathy. They must meet designated
academic standards and not be in default on any previous student loan.
Benefits:
Maximum annual loan of $10,000. Recipients are selected annually by
each school based on the applicant's eligibility and the availability
of funds. Award amounts are determined by the school. Students may receive
renewal loans each year, at the discretion of the school and depending
on the availability of funds.
Loan
forgiveness may be granted at the rate of $10,000 for each year
of full-time practice in an approved underserved area of West Virginia
or in a medical specialty designated as a critical shortage field in
the state.
The primary care fields of family practice, internal medicine,
pediatrics, internal medicine/pediatrics, psychiatry, and
obstetrics/gynecology are considered to be critical shortage fields.
Obligation:
Students must sign a promissory note to repay the loans at the prevailing federal stafford loan rate of interest. Payment deferments may be granted during required military
service or approved additional medical training, including internships
and residencies, not to exceed five years. Students may request loan
forgiveness, as outlined above, from the WV Higher Education Policy Commission.
For more
information, contact:
The Financial Aid Office of your medical or osteopathic
school; or
Bob Long
Medical Student Loan Program
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
P. O. Box 4007
Charleston, WV 25364
304-558-4614 ext 320; (FAX) 304-558-4622
E-mail: long@hepc.wvnet.edu
This program provides an educational stipend to students/residents
who wish to
enhance or extend their training at rural sites.
Eligibility: Students/Residents must be enrolled in a school of medicine,
dentistry, or osteopathy, or enrolled in a training program for nurse
practitioners, physician assistants, nurse-midwives, clinical psychologists,
or counseling psychologists, and masters level social work.
All students/residents must have completed one year (medical and dental
students two years) in their respective training programs.
Medical and dental students must have completed two years of their
professional training.
Students/Residents must be applying for a primary care rotation (family
or general medicine, psychology, social work, dentistry, dental hygiene,
obstetrics and gynecology,internal medicine, or pediatrics).
Preference is given to applicants demonstrating one or more of the
following attributes:
1.) presently a National Health Service Corps recipient;
2.) has strong ties to a rural area, or history of work or community
service within a rural locale:
3.)has demonstrated a commitment to primary care in an underserved
area; and/or
4.) has arranged a rotation beyond the minimum 20 days required.
Benefits: $75 daily stipend for a minimum rotation of 20 days, up
to a
maximum of 100 days. Students/Residents must be recommended by one of
the
eight Rural Health Education Partnerships consortia. A statewide
advisory
panel makes final recommendations on stipend awards.
For more information, contact:
The Rural Health Education Partnerships site coordinator in the area
of
the planned rotation; or
Jacki Masi
West Virginia University
Office of Rural Health
P. O. Box 9003
Morgantown, WV 26506-9003
304/293-1783
FAX/293-8566
jmasirazmus@hsc.wvu.edu
Sample Application
Brochure
WVRHEP Map
Student Application
Community Application
This program
offers repayment of educational loans to primary care physicians and
other primary care practitioners, in return for an obligation to practice
in a rural underserved area of West Virginia. The site must be public
or nonprofit and located in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). The program is funded by a federal
grant (50%) and state (50%) appropriation.
Eligibility:
Primary care physicians in general family practice, general pediatrics,
obstetrics/gynecology, general internal medicine, general psychiatry;
and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives
Applicants must be a U.S. citizen with a valid, unrestricted West
Virginia license and/or certificate, and must have satisfied any other
state or federal service obligation prior to beginning the loan repayment
service obligation.
Benefits:
$40,000 for a two-year commitment. Contracts may be extended for two
additional years at a rate of $25,000 per year.
Loan repayment will pay for qualified government and commercial educational
loans for medical or other health professions education and reasonable
living expenses. Loan repayments are considered taxable income.
Awards are made by the Bureau for Public Health, based on a ranking
of community need and availability of health professionals.
Obligation:
Recipients of loan repayment must sign a contract to practice full time
for a minimum of two years at an approved site in a HPSA. Penalties
apply for breach of contract.
For more
information, contact:
Karen Pauley, Program Coordinator
Division of Rural Health and Recruitment
350 Capitol Street, Room 515
Charleston, WV 25301-3716
304-558-4383; (Toll Free) 1-888-442-3456; (FAX) 304-558-1437
E-mail: karenpauley@wvdhhr.org
This program
provides matching funds to communities for recruitment and retention
of primary care providers. The program is funded by state appropriation.
Eligibility:
Sponsors must be located in a medically underserved community, such
as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), Medically Underserved
Area (MUA) or other area approved by the Bureau for Public Health. Sponsors
must provide a full continuum of care, including arrangements for after
hours and acute care, and must have an open policy to provide health
services without regard to a person's ability to pay.
Eligible providers include primary care physicians in general family
practice, general pediatrics, general internal medicine, psychiatry,
and obstetrics/gynecology, or emergency medicine physicians and physician
assistants trained in emergency medicine (only at approved facilities),
primary care nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse-midwives,
or individuals in training programs in these fields. A candidate must
be a U.S. citizen and must agree to meet all applicable educational,
licensure, and certification requirements to practice primary care in
West Virginia.
Benefits:
A grant of up to $10,000 to the community sponsor, which is required
to provide 50 percent in cash matching funds. Funds may be used to provide
loan repayment, loans/loan forgiveness, locum tenens support, or other
incentives approved by the Bureau for Public Health.
Applications are accepted throughout the year, and awards are made
by the Bureau for Public Health. Preference is given to sponsors supporting
candidates who have received their training in West Virginia; have ties
to the community; have a commitment to serve in an underserved area;
or have experience in community service in an underserved area.
Obligation:
Candidates must agree to practice primary care full time with the sponsor
for one year for every year of support, There is a maximum of four years.
For more
information, contact:
Karen Pauley, Program Coordinator
Division of Rural Health and Recruitment
350 Capitol Street, Room 515
Charleston, WV 25301-3716
304-558-4383; (Toll Free) 1-888-442-3456; (FAX) 304-558-1437
E-mail: karenpauley@wvdhhr.org
Health Professional Shortage Areas in Rural West Virginia
Federally funded programs in this report are targeted to the Health
Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). This is a federal designation that
identifies areas with a shortage of primary care physicians—generally,
areas with a ratio of less than one primary care physician per
3,500 population. In West Virginia, 40 of the 55 counties are designated
as partial or whole-county HPSAs.
State-funded programs, i.e., the Health Sciences Scholarship Program,
the Recruitment and Retention Community Project, and the
Medical Student Loan Programs consider additional areas as underserved
on a case-by-case basis.
For information
on HPSAs and practice opportunities in West Virginia, contact:
Martha Endres, Program Coordinator
Division of Rural Health and Recruitment
350 Capitol Street, Room 515
Charleston, WV 25301-3716
304-558-4384; (Toll Free) 1-888-442-3456; (FAX) 304-558-1437
E-Mail: marthaendres@wvdhhr.org
Students
and health professionals should be aware of other financial incentives
in primary care and rural practice in West Virginia. These opportunities
are funded by private foundations and other organizations.
Educational
Seed for Physicians (ESP)
This program,
administered by the Family Medicine Foundation of West Virginia, the
philanthropic arm of the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy
of Family Physicians, provides loans to medical students who promise
to specialize in family medicine and practice for two years in West
Virginia upon completion of internships or residency training. Loans
of $4,500 per year or $18,000 total for four years of medical school
are awarded on the basis of need and interest in family medicine. Repayment
of the loans is waived after the required two years of practice in
the state. Physicians who do not fulfill the service agreement must
repay the loans with interest.
ESP awards are made by the Family
Medicine Foundation board, based on recommendations of a committee that
includes representatives of the board, the West Virginia Federation
of Women's Clubs (which originated the ESP fund), and the medical profession.
For application
forms, contact:
Chris Ferrell, Executive Secretary
PO Box 359
Flatwoods, West Virginia 26621
304/765/7839
FAX: 304/765/3838
fam.med.foundation@citynet.net
Rural
Hospital Residency Scholarship Program
Eighteen
rural hospitals in West Virginia currently offer scholarships to physicians
in residency training, in exchange for a commitment to practice in the
community served by the hospital upon completion of training. Generally,
scholarships of $10,000 per year are offered for each year of practice
in the community. If the service obligation is not met, the physician
must repay the scholarship with interest.
For more
information, contact:
Jill McDaniel
West Virginia Hospital Association
100 Association Drive
Charleston, WV 25311
304/344-9744
FAX/344-9745
jmcdaniel@wvha.com
Health Professions Recruitment Program
The Health Professions Recruitment Program serves as a statewide foundation
to assist communities in the recruitment and retention of primary care
providers. The Division of Recruitment provides extensive information
on West Virginia practice opportunities to providers seeking placement
assistance.
Our staff also prepares practice profiles that include information
about the site’s clinical environment and the community’s
recreational assets, economic environment, educational resources, and
other characteristics. The provider’s curriculum vitae is circulated
to interested sites, and the provider receives a list of these sites.
Our placement service is free. Visit our web site at http://www.wvrecruitment.org.
For information on practice opportunities in West Virginia, contact:
Melissa Wheeler, Program Coordinator
Division of Rural Health and Recruitment
350 Capitol Street, Room 515
Charleston, WV 25301-3716
304-558-4383; (Toll Free) 1-888-442-3456; (FAX) 304-558-1437
E-Mail: melissawheeler@wvdhhr.org
Health Careers Information
www.wvhealthcareers.org is a website that can help students explore the world of health care with searchable information on:
