The Bureau of Health Workforce is a part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA programs train health care professionals and place them where they are needed most. Grants support scholarship and loan repayment programs at colleges and universities to meet critical workforce shortages and promote diversity within the health professions.
Contents
- Key Facts
- History
- Nursing Recruitment and Retention Programs
- Nurse Education Practice Quality and Retention Program
- Advanced Education Nursing Program
- Nursing Workforce Diversity Program
- Health Careers Opportunity Program
- Centers Of Excellence
- Scholarships For Disadvantaged Students
- Training Programs
- Area Health Education Centers
- Geriatric Education Centers
- Public Health Training Centers
- Childrens Hospital Graduate Medical Education Payment Program
- National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program
- National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program
- NURSE Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment programs
- Faculty Loan Repayment Program
- Health Professions Student Loans
- Loans for Disadvantaged Students
- Nursing Student Loans
- Primary Care Loans
- National Practitioner Data Bank
- Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank
- References
Key Facts
History
HRSA’s health professions programs began in June 1967 and were originally part of the Public Health Service. Over the next decade, these programs were transferred to the National Institutes of Health. By 1980 the programs were transferred to one of HRSA’s predecessor agencies, the Health Resources Administration. In May 2014, the Bureau of Health Workforce was created, integrating HRSA workforce programs previously housed in two bureaus: Health Professions and Clinician Recruitment and Service.
Nursing Recruitment and Retention Programs
With a national workforce shortage of 1 million nurses projected by 2025, HRSA supports academic and continuing education projects designed to recruit and retain a strong nursing workforce.
Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention Program
Program funds are used to increase enrollment in nursing programs, expand nursing practice to improve access to primary health care in medically underserved communities, and support efforts to promote the retention of nurses in the workforce.
Advanced Education Nursing Program
HRSA supports projects that enhance advanced nursing education and practice. This program encourages individuals to serve as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, nurse administrators or public health nurses.
Nursing Workforce Diversity Program
To increase nursing education opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, the program provides stipends and scholarships, pre-entry preparation, and retention activities for minority nursing students, pre-nursing students, and students in elementary and secondary schools.
Health Careers Opportunity Program
The program is designed to increase the number of individuals from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are studying and working in the health and allied health professions. This program also provides support needed to compete, enter, and graduate from health or allied health professions’ schools, graduate programs in behavior and mental health, and programs to train physician assistants.
Centers Of Excellence
The Centers of Excellence Program provides grants to health professional schools to support educational programs of excellence for underrepresented minority students. These programs strengthen our national capacity to train minority students in health professions.
Scholarships For Disadvantaged Students
HRSA provides funds to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their education and graduation rates and improve their ranks in the health professions.
Training Programs
HRSA provides grants to institutions to expand the knowledge base of health professionals and support their continuing education. These funds also support students and faculty in programs designed to increase the number of nurses, pediatricians and primary care providers.
Area Health Education Centers
Main article: Area Health Education Centers Program
HRSA supports a network of more than 200 community-based training sites in 47 states and the District of Columbia that provide educational services to students, faculty and practitioners in underserved areas with the aim of increasing the supply of qualified providers in those communities.
Geriatric Education Centers
Through Geriatric Education Centers, HRSA helps educate and train health professional faculty, students and practitioners in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, disability and other health problems of the aged.
Public Health Training Centers
The Public Health Training Centers Program strengthens the workforce by providing fundamental training in the core competencies of public health.
Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Payment Program
The Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Payment Program provides federal support for direct and indirect graduate medical education of interns and residents in freestanding children’s teaching hospitals.
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program
for primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health clinicians;
National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program
for primary care medical and dental providers-in-training;
NURSE Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment programs
for registered nurses and RN students;
Faculty Loan Repayment Program
for health professions faculty from disadvantaged backgrounds;
Health Professions Student Loans
Accredited schools of dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine are eligible.
Loans for Disadvantaged Students
Accredited schools of allopathic or osteopathic medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine are eligible.
Nursing Student Loans
Accredited schools leading to a diploma, associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree in nursing are eligible.
Primary Care Loans
Accredited schools of allopathic and osteopathic medicine are eligible for this program which requires loan recipients to serve in primary care.
National Practitioner Data Bank
The National Practitioner Data Bank is a clearinghouse that provides information to eligible organizations about malpractice payments, adverse licensure, clinical privilege, and other negative actions taken against health care practitioners and entities.
Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank
The Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank was merged into the National Practitioner Data Bank as of May 6, 2013, in accordance with 78 FR 20473.