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ARKANSAS GRADUATE NURSING EDUCATION STUDENT LOAN AND
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FACT SHEET
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS: The
AGNSLS board will meet on Thursday 7-9 to make award decisions for Fall 2009
- Spring 2010. Award/denial letters will be mailed on or before 7-15.
Applications for Spring 2010 only
for applicants who missed the 6-15 deadline will be available on August 1,
2009. Please do not apply until then, as revised applications will be
uploaded at that time and all eligible schools will be notified the
applications are available.
1. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM?
2. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
3. WHAT FUNCTION DOES THE ARKANSAS GRADUATE NURSING EDUCATION STUDENT LOAN AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM/GRADUATE NURSE EDUCATOR LOAN AND SCHOLARSHIP BOARD PERFORM?
4. WHAT IS "FULL-TIME" ENROLLMENT AND "PART-TIME" ENROLLMENT?
5. HOW ARE “ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE," "PRIMARY CARE," "NURSING SCHOOL," AND "COMPLEX ARKANSAS HEALTH CARE AGENCY" DEFINED?
6. DO I HAVE TO NAME THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH I WILL PRACTICE OR THE SCHOOL IN WHICH I WILL TEACH AT THE TIME I APPLY FOR THE LOAN?
7. HOW MUCH MAY I BORROW?
8. CAN THESE LOANS BE RENEWED?
9. WHAT CONDITIONS MUST I MEET ONCE I AM AWARDED FUNDING?
10. HOW ARE NURSE PRACTICE OR NURSE EDUCATOR LOANS REPAID?
11. WHAT HAPPENS TO MY LOAN(S) IN THE EVENT OF DEATH?
12. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT A RECIPIENT DEFAULTS ON HIS/HER OBLIGATION?
13. UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS A DEFERMENT ALLOWED?
14. UNDER WHAT CONDITION CAN I TAKE NON-NURSING GRADUATE HOURS TO SATISFY THE NUMBER OF CREDITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A LOAN?1. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM?
The last revision of The Arkansas Graduate Nursing Education Student Loan and Scholarship Program, Act 1468, was in 2005, and was designed to increase the number of advanced nurse practitioners/clinical nurse specialists practicing in Arkansas communities, nurse educators teaching in Arkansas nursing schools, nurse administrators, and advanced practice nurses working in the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). The Arkansas Graduate Nursing Education Student Loan and Scholarship Program was originally established in 1995 to increase the number of primary care advanced nurse practitioners in rural communities in the state.
Students who receive graduate nursing loans during graduate school may have these loans converted to scholarship grants according to the terms of the loan. Advanced nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist students can fulfill the payback terms by practicing full-time as a nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist in a community in Arkansas, by serving as a nurse administrator in an Arkansas complex health care agency, or by working at the ADH one year for each year of the loan (see #9). Nurse educator students can fulfill the payback terms by teaching full-time in an Arkansas nursing school one year for each year of the loan.
The Arkansas Graduate Nursing Student Loan and Scholarship program is an excellent opportunity to help fund your graduate nursing degree and help meet the health care needs of Arkansas and the nursing faculty shortage. Arkansas has over 40 schools of nursing, the ADH has approximately 100 health units throughout the state, and there are numerous complex health care agencies in the state. The Graduate Nurse Educator and Scholarship Board has a list of all of the nursing schools in Arkansas found on-line at http://www.arsbn.org/ed_res_nursing.html.
2. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
Eligibility is extended to any bona fide resident of Arkansas enrolled and accepted for enrollment in an accredited graduate nursing program located in Arkansas and leading to a master's degree in nursing in either a nurse practitioner specialty/clinical nurse specialty program, an advanced nursing practice specialty for preparation to work in public health, a nursing administration specialty, or an advanced nursing specialty with educational preparation (a minimum of 6 semester hours in nursing education courses). A complete list of nursing specialties eligible for funding can be found under #5. Students who already hold a master's degree in nursing and are returning for a post master's certification are not eligible to apply.
Eligible schools include graduate nursing programs at:
• Arkansas State University (ASU),
• University of Central Arkansas (UCA)
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
• University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (U of A)
• The program is also open to nurses attending the doctoral program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing See #7 for funding amounts.
All master’s applicants for the nurse practice loan/scholarship program must be enrolled full-time each semester of funding (9 credit hours or 18 contact hours/week) to receive funding. No part-time funding is available for nurse practice applicants. Nurse educator applicants can either apply for part-time or full-time funding. Full-time nurse educator applicants must be enrolled in 9 or more credit hours per semester. Part-time nurse educator master’s applicants must be enrolled for at least 6 or more credit hours per semester.
The nursing doctoral program applicant must be enrolled full-time each semester of funding (9 credit hours or more) to receive the full amount of funding. When enrolled for at least 6 or more credit hours per semester, the nursing doctoral applicant qualifies for half funding.
An applicant must be a person of good moral character, good academic standing, in need of financial assistance to complete studies, participating in a nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist program, master’s preparation for public/community health, nursing administration, nurse educator preparation, or nursing PhD curriculum. They must commit to practice full-time advanced nursing practice in a community as a nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist, serve as a nursing administrator in an Arkansas complex health care agency, teach full-time in an Arkansas school of nursing, or work full-time in the ADH. Each applicant must be approved by the Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board.
3. WHAT FUNCTION DOES THE ARKANSAS NURSING GRADUATE STUDENT LOAN AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM/GRADUATE NURSE EDUCATOR LOAN AND SCHOLARSHIP BOARD PERFORM?
The Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board is responsible for:
(1) determining eligibility of graduate nursing applicants for loans
(2) naming graduate recipients of such assistance
(3) setting the amounts of loans
(4) making all disbursements and collections
(5) making compliance and non-compliance determinations
4. WHAT IS "FULL-TIME" ENROLLMENT AND "PART-TIME" ENROLLMENT?
Full-time enrollment for nurse practice loans is defined as 9 credit hours per semester of theory course content and/or 18 contact hours of clinical course enrollment per week. Full-time enrollment for nurse educator loans is defined as 9 or more credit hours per semester. Part-time enrollment for nurse educator loans is defined as 6 credit hours per semester.
5. HOW ARE "ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE," "PRIMARY CARE," "NURSING SCHOOL," AND "COMPLEX ARKANSAS HEALTH CARE AGENCY" DEFINED?
""Advanced nursing practice" means advanced nursing care provided in one of the following areas of practice:
(i) Family practice nursing;
(ii) Pediatric nursing;
(iii) Women's health nursing;
(iv) Nurse midwifery;
(v) Gerontology nursing;
(vi) Adult nursing;
(vii) Nurse anesthesia;
(viii) Nursing administration;
(ix) Psychiatric or mental health nursing;
(x) Acute care nursing;
(xi) Community or public health nursing; or
(xii) Nursing education.
"Advanced nursing practice" occurs in the context of practice by a registered nurse who has:
(a) Completed a master's degree or doctoral nursing educational program in Arkansas; and
(b) Met the requirements for:
(1) national certification; or
(2) to teach in an Arkansas-accredited school of nursing; and/or is prepared
(3) to serve as a nurse administrator in an Arkansas complex health care
agency.
"Primary care" occurs in the context of the community and is characterized by long-term, close relationships between practitioner and patient, in which the primary care provider treats common and episodic illnesses. Patients with more complex problems are referred to specialists.
"Arkansas school of nursing" means a school or school's department of nursing located in Arkansas.
"Complex Arkansas health care agency" means any hospital, long-term care facility, large hospital-based clinic, large medical practice, or the Department of Health.
"Arkansas Department of Health" refers to employment as an advanced practice nurse or nurse administrator in any unit or area of the ADH.
6. DO I HAVE TO NAME THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH I WILL PRACTICE OR THE SCHOOL IN WHICH I WILL TEACH AT THE TIME I APPLY FOR THE LOAN?
You do not have to name a specific community, school, or ADH unit when you make application. However, before you apply for these funds, you may want to consider job availability in the area of the state where you will be fulfilling your loan obligation. You must obtain employment in Arkansas that is considered compliant with the terms of your loan within six months of your graduation date to avoid going into repayment on your loan.
7. HOW MUCH MAY I BORROW?
All Amounts listed below are subject to the number of students applying and the availability of funds.
- Master’s Nurse Practice Loan: Master's nurse practice loan recipients must go to school full-time (9 credit hours/semester of 18 contact hours/week = 270 hours for the semester) to qualify. Students applying for the Master's Nurse Practice loan can receive up to $16,000 during their graduate students. This equates to a maximum of $8,000 per academic year ($4,000 each semester), for two academic years, based on financial need for full-time study in the master's program.
- Master's Nurse Educator Loan: The master's nurse educator loan has both a part-time and a full-time option. Full-time students must carry at least 9 credit hours. Part-time students must carry 6-8 credit hours. Students applying for the Master's Nurse Educator loan can receive up to $32,000 during their graduate students. Part-time students may receive up to $4,000 per semester ($8,000 for the academic year) while full-time students can receive up to $8,000 per semester ($16,000 for the academic year). Part-time students can receive the funding for up to four years while full-time students can receive the funding for two years.
- Doctoral Nurse Educator Loan: Students in the Nursing PhD program at UAMS who are full-time may receive up to $60,000 during their doctoral studies. The doctoral nurse educator loan has both a part-time and a full-time option. Full-time students must carry at least 9 credit hours. Part-time students must carry 6-8 credit hours. Full-time students can receive up to $20,000 per academic year ($10,000 per semester) for three academic years, while students who are part-time may receive up to $10,000 per academic year ($5,000 per semester) for six academic years. Full-time students receiving the loan/scholarship funding must be employed less than 40 hours per week and preferably no more than 20 hours during their graduate studies.
The Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board reserves the right to adjust the amount of funding per student based on the amount of available aid in any given academic year, the student’s family level of financial need based upon the previous year’s tax return, and the number of qualified applicants. Click here for the payback requirements for all loan types listed above.
8. CAN THESE LOANS BE RENEWED?
Yes. The student must make application prior to each academic year by the deadline for application before the Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board meets, provided that funds are available and the student continues to meet all of the eligibility requirements. The Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board funds on an academic calendar year basis for one year at a time (fall and spring semesters only, no summer funding is available). Continuing students who are still eligible to apply for loan funds will need to submit a new application by the deadline published on the website prior to the start of the academic year.
9. WHAT CONDITIONS MUST I MEET ONCE I AM AWARDED FUNDING?
For a master’s nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist or nursing administration student receiving full funding each semester you are awarded a loan/scholarship, you must maintain full-time enrollment of 9 credit hours or have at least 18 contact hours of clinical and/or theory enrollment per week.
If you are a master’s nursing education student or a nursing doctoral student, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 semester credit hours for a full loan/scholarship or a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester for a partial loan/scholarship program.
For other semesters until you complete the degree, you must maintain enrollment, be in good academic standing, be employed less than full-time if a full-time student, and make progress toward degree completion.
** At the end of each semester a recipients has been awarded funding, the student must submit an official transcript to the AGNSLS program administrator showing work completed for the semester funded in order to receive the following semester’s funding or to be eligible for future funding. **
10. HOW ARE NURSE PRACTICE OR NURSE EDUCATOR LOANS REPAID?
The payback requirement terms are specific to the type of loan.
Each nurse practice loan recipient approved by the Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board shall reside in Arkansas and practice full-time as a nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist in an Arkansas community, serve as a nurse administrator in an Arkansas complex health care agency, or work full-time in the Arkansas Department of Health one year for each year funding is borrowed. If awarded funding for one semester or multiple years including only one semester of an academic year, the payback terms of the one semester are an entire year.
Each nurse educator loan recipient approved by the Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board shall reside in Arkansas and teach full-time at an Arkansas-accredited school of nursing one year for each year funding is borrowed. If awarded funding for one semester or multiple years including only one semester of an academic year, the payback terms of the one semester are an entire year. For a nurse educator loan, teaching full-time both fall and spring semesters is considered an entire year of compliance.
For each continuous whole calendar year of full-time employment compliant with the terms of the student's loan, the Graduate Nurse Educator Loan and Scholarship Board shall cancel, by converting to a scholarship grant, the full amount of one year's loan plus accrued interest. Loans made for subsequent years will be converted in like manner, one year of service for each year or partial year of assistance, until the loan obligation is retired.11. WHAT HAPPENS TO MY LOAN(S) IN THE EVENT OF DEATH?
The law stipulates that all loans unpaid shall be due and payable with interest.
12. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT A RECIPIENT DEFAULTS ON HIS/HER OBLIGATION?
The recipient remains obligated to repay loans received, together with interest at the maximum rate allowed by Arkansas law, or 5% above the federal discount rate, whichever is less. Interest accrues from the date each loan check was received. Repayment shall be due and payable in full when it is determined that the recipient is not in compliance with the provisions of the contractual agreement.13. UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS A DEFERMENT ALLOWED?
1) Military deferment: During any one period of time a loan recipient involuntarily serves on active duty in the United States armed forces. Interest will continue to accrue during deferment.
2) Education: Upon graduation from an Arkansas master's nursing graduate program in nursing, during enrollment in an Arkansas doctoral program in nursing OR Upon graduation from an Arkansas doctoral nursing graduate program, during the award period for a post doctoral appointment. Interest will continue to accrue during deferment.
3) At the Board's discretion: A recipient can write the Board requesting deferment for a one-semester absence from enrollment. Interest will continue to accrue during deferment.14. UNDER WHAT CONDITION CAN I TAKE NON-NURSING GRADUATE HOURS TO SATISFY THE NUMBER OF CREDITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A LOAN?
A graduate nursing student applying for the master’s nurse practice, master’s nurse educator, or doctoral nurse educator loan may take up to three graduate non-nursing credit hours once during his or her graduate program if enough graduate nursing hours are not available to satisfy the student’s loan requirements. The graduate non-nursing credit hours must be approved by the students advisor and a letter indicating as such signed by the student’s advisor must be included with the student’s program of study showing the additional non-nursing graduate course.
For questions about the Arkansas Advanced Nursing Practice and Nurse Educator Student Loan and Scholarship program call or email:
Kimberly Morton
Director of Academic Administration and Informatics
UAMS College of Nursing
4301 W. Markham, Slot 529
Little Rock, AR 72205
(501) 526-6498 or kjmorton@uams.edu
Revised 6-25-2009