American Association of Nurse Practitioners President: ‘We’re going to really kink the pipeline’ of providers under proposed federal student loan rule

A proposed federal student loan rule could limit access to education for future nurse practitioners and worsen existing healthcare shortages, according to Dr. Valerie Fuller, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

“If it were to go through… your loan amount would be capped at $20,500 a year with a $100,000 cap,” Fuller said, warning that the limits would not cover the full cost of graduate nursing education.

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Fuller explained that recent policy changes tied to federal student loan programs eliminated Grad PLUS loans and created new categories for graduate borrowers. Under the proposal, nursing students would not qualify as “professional” students, leaving them subject to lower borrowing caps than fields like medicine or dentistry.

“We’re going to really kink the pipeline when at a time in our nation’s history when we have a shortage of healthcare providers,” Fuller said.

Nurse practitioners play a major role in the U.S. healthcare system, providing more than one billion patient visits annually and serving as a primary care backbone in many regions. In rural areas, they account for roughly two-thirds of Medicare primary care services.

Fuller said the proposed loan limits could reduce the number of students entering advanced nursing programs and exacerbate faculty shortages. More than 80,000 qualified nursing applicants were turned away from programs in a recent academic year due in part to a lack of instructors, she noted.

For patients, the downstream effects could include longer wait times, reduced access to primary and specialty care, and fewer mental health services.

“With fewer healthcare providers, you’re going to have longer wait times… patients will have less access to specialty care services,” Fuller said.

She added that students unable to secure sufficient federal loans may turn to private lending, which often carries higher interest rates and fewer repayment protections.

Fuller and her organization are urging policymakers to revise the rule to include nursing programs under the “professional degree” category. Public comments are being collected by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the rulemaking process.

Dr. Valerie Fuller is a dual-certified family and acute care nurse practitioner with more than 25 years of experience. She serves as president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, which represents the largest group of nurse practitioners in the United States.