A “complete application” includes a response to every question (applications with blank answer fields will not be processed), as well as successful uploading of all required supporting documentation. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.
Yes. Loans may be awarded for up to three years for a person pursuing or holding a master’s degree and as many as four years for a person pursuing or holding a doctorate. However, funds are limited and there is no guarantee that past participants will be selected again.
No. You must repeat the application process each year.
Alabama residents who are enrolled full-time in accredited nursing education programs approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing and pursuing graduate degrees to become certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), or certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) or are currently-approved CRNPs, CNMs, or CRNAs who completed their advanced practice nursing programs within the previous five (5) years.
Nurses with encumbered Alabama RN licenses and/or nurses with a significant history of professional misconduct are ineligible. Board Members and staff of the Alabama Board of Nursing are also ineligible for the Loan Repayment Program.
Yes. You are still eligible for the Loan Repayment Program, even if you receive other financial aid.
Recipients are chosen by the Board using criteria on the application. Complete applications that are received before the deadline are given equal consideration.
If you are selected as a participant for the Loan Repayment Program, you will be notified by email following the decision of the Board. You must respond to that email stating whether you plan to accept or decline the loan award. If you choose to accept, you will be given further instructions regarding signing your contract and promissory note, as well as how to register with the State of Alabama, in order to receive your loan monies.
When you register with the State of Alabama, you will have the option of choosing a Direct Deposit payment or a paper check. Following receipt of all the necessary legal documents, your payment will be processed through the State of Alabama Trust Fund. It may take up to 4-6 weeks to receive the money.
Each loan recipient must repay any loans received by working in full-time practice as a CRNA, CRNP, or CNM in an area of critical need for eighteen (18) months for EACH YEAR he or she received a loan under the Loan Repayment Program. You will be required to submit regular Employment Verification Forms, in order to ensure compliance with your repayment obligations. Failure to submit the Employment Verification Forms will result in default on your Loan Repayment Program award.
(a) For loans issued prior to November 15, 2023, an Area of Critical Need is an area in Alabama with a critical need for advanced practice nurses, that is not a part of, or within five miles of, an urbanized area as defined most recently by the U.S. Census Bureau.
(b) For loans issued on or after November 15, 2023, an Area of Critical Need is an area that is physically located within Alabama and meets one of the following criteria: 1. Located within a primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA) for a geographic area, recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration, or its successor organization, or by the Alabama Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, or its successor organization. 2. A federally Qualified Health Center or designated Indian Health Services, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organization located anywhere within Alabama, with a primary care HPSA score of 14 or more. 3. Located within an eligible Alabama Rural Medical Service Awards rural community as defined most recently by the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, or its successor organization.
(b) For loans issued on or after November 15, 2023, an Area of Critical Need is an area that is physically located within Alabama and meets one of the following criteria: 1. Located within a primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA) for a geographic area, recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration, or its successor organization, or by the Alabama Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, or its successor organization. 2. A federally Qualified Health Center or designated Indian Health Services, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organization located anywhere within Alabama, with a primary care HPSA score of 14 or more. 3. Located within an eligible Alabama Rural Medical Service Awards rural community as defined most recently by the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, or its successor organization.
You must have approval from the Board in order to change your designated area of critical need. You will need to fill out a Relocation Request and submit all of the required documentation prior to leaving your original designated area of critical need. If your Relocation Request is approved, you must work full-time in your new area of critical need for a minimum of three years, regardless of how long you worked in your original designated area.
No. You must be physically working full-time (36-40 hours per week) within your designated area of critical need to repay your obligations. Failure to do so will result in defaulting on your loan repayment agreement.
Circumstances that would cause you to default include, but are not limited to: failure to maintain full-time status in school, failure to complete the graduate nursing program, failure to maintain full-time employment status in your designated area of critical need, failure to submit required documentation related to school and/or employment, and failure to work the required time within your designated area of critical need.
If you default on or otherwise fail to honor your loan repayment agreement for any reason, you will be liable for immediate repayment of the total amount that was awarded to you, plus interest and penalties.
Failure to comply with the provisions of any contract or loan repayment agreement is grounds for discipline up to and including revocation of your Alabama nursing license.
Yes, provided the leave is an approved maternity or medical leave and does not result in a change of employment status. The time you spend on leave will not count towards the time owed to repay your loan.