Midwife Connection

by Cassie Moore, ACNM writer and editor

It’s fall, the leaves are blowing off the trees, and midwifery students are back in school juggling books, theory, and integration along with their families, jobs, and other pressing details of life—all of which can leave anyone strapped for cash. As blogger At Your Cervix writes, grad school ain’t cheap. So here’s a little refresher on some options for paying for school or paying back student loans.

• Contact the financial aid officer at the schools you are considering attending. They are professionals at finding scholarships, loans, and other forms of assistance and can be a very valuable resource.

• Congress appropriates millions of dollars for a variety of programs supporting students, including loans/ scholarships for eligible applicants and service paybacks for those who work in underserved/rural areas. Extensive information on federal funds can be found at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Web site. 

• The A.C.N.M. Foundation provides up to six scholarships of $2000-$4000 each to midwifery students every year. Guidelines and applications, as well as a list of recent award winners, are available at www.midwife.org/Foundation-Scholarships-and-Awards. Questions can be directed to the Foundation Office at (240) 485-1850 or fdn@acnm.org. Student nurse-midwives are eligible to join ACNM. To become a member, click here.

• ACNM also updates a Web page with other scholarship opportunities here. 
  
  

• The Indian Health Service (IHS) is committed to encouraging American Indians and Alaska Natives to enter the health professions and assuring the availability of Indian health professionals to serve Indians. The IHS recruits students for the following programs: The Indian Health Professions Preparatory Scholarships; the Indian Health Professions Pregraduate Scholarships; and the Indian Health Professions Scholarships. More information is available at www.ihs.gov/JobsCareerDevelop/DHPS/Scholarships/learn_more.cfm.
  
  

• The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) offers a loan repayment program to nurse-midwives and other health care professionals that commit to working in underserved areas across the country. The Scholarship Program offers payment of tuition and fees, books, supplies, and equipment for up to four years of education, and a monthly stipend. In return, for each year of support, the recipient must serve one year in a federally designated health professional shortage area of greatest need. For Scholarship information or a Loan Repayment application, call the NHSC Helpline at 1-800-221-9393 or e-mail callcenter@hrsa.gov. To find out more about this program, visit http://nhsc.hrsa.gov.
  
  

• The State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) is part of the overall strategy of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to improve access to underserved communities. NHSC grants matching funds directly to states to operate their own loan repayment programs. Primary care health professionals who are providing full-time clinical services in a public or nonprofit facility located in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area are eligible for this program. Eligibility requirements and benefits vary from state to state. For specific information, please contact your state health department directly. Click here for the list of states that are funded. See ACNM's Web site on the SLRP.

• Scholarships and loans are available from many different organizations and agencies. Check with your state higher education and public health departments for state funds. Contact organizations such as the American Association of University Women for information on educational funding opportunities. The Johnson & Johnson Foundation provides information about nursing education scholarships at www.discovernursing.com/scholarship-search. The March of Dimes also offers scholarship opportunities.
  
  

• Create your own source of funding. If you can demonstrate the need for nurse-midwifery services in your community, a local hospital, clinic or private practice may be willing to support you in full or part in return for a practice commitment.

Image via lalunablanca on Flickr.