Recruitment and Retention
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   Education Awards
The Rural Communities Healthcare Investment Program (RCHIP) is designed to attract and retain non-physician healthcare professionals in rural communities by providing incentives such as stipends or loan repayment assistance to non-physician healthcare professionals who agree to practice in rural medically underserved areas.  

Please see the links at the bottom of this page for education assistance programs from other organizations.
   Continuing Education
SORH supports continuing education credit training opportunities at health.edu through the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. For employees of critical access hospitals, courses through health.edu are free. For other rural health providers, the courses have a minimal fee. 

Training from the Texas Department of State Health Services

Train Texas

Free online continuing education for health professionals.















   Job Posting/Job Search
SORH Supports the following two free job posting sites for medical jobs:

National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNet), an on-line job posting site dedicated to rural and underserved area medical job posters and seekers. 

HRSA Health Workforce Connector - Connecting skilled health professionals to communities in need.

Please contact Cindy Ellis, 512-776-7518 at the Texas Primary Care Office regarding accreditation to become a NHSC site or for questions about job posting.

   Other Sources
EDUCATION AWARDS AND LOAN ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Nursing Scholarship Program
The Nursing Scholarship Program is a selective program of the U.S. Government that helps alleviate the critical shortage of nurses currently experienced by certain types of health care facilities by helping needy students complete their nurse training. In exchange for the scholarship, upon graduation, the newly minted nurses work at these facilities for at least 2 years.
  • The program is adapting to the increasing demand for nurse practitioners by reserving up to half of the award funds for students pursuing a master’s level nurse practitioner degree; and
  • NSP participants must serve at an eligible health care facility located in a primary care or mental health Health Professional Shortage Area also known as a Critical Shortage Facility (CSF).

Nursing Loan Repayment Program
To be eligible to apply, you must be a registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse, such as a nurse practitioner, or nurse faculty who has completed training (diploma, associate, baccalaureate or graduate), is licensed and employed full time (at least 32 hours per week) at a public or private, non-profit Critical Shortage Facility or employed as a full-time nurse faculty member at a public or private non-profit school of nursing.
Registered Nurses and Advance Practice Nurses: Public or private, non-profit Critical Shortage Facility that is designated as, located in or primarily serving a designated primary care or mental health Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA):
  • Critical Access Hospital   
  • Disproportionate Share Hospital   
  • Public Hospital  
  • Federally Qualified Health Center  
  • Indian Health Service Health Center  
  • Native Hawaiian Health Center
  • Rural Health Clinic  
  • Skilled Nursing Facility   
  • State or Local Public Health or Human Services Department  
  • Ambulatory Surgical Center  
  • Home Health Agency  
  • Hospice Program  
  • Nonprofit, Non-Disproportionate Share Hospital  
  • Nursing Home

National Health Service Corps
National Health Service Corps is a loan repayment program for primary care clinicians working in underserved areas. To find out if you qualify for the National Health Service Corps Program, contact the Texas Primary Care Office at (512) 458-7518.  

National Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Student loan balances can be forgiven after 120 consecutive on-time payments if you have been working in public service for that period (10 years). Public service is defined as working for a nonprofit 501c3 organization or for a public entity (i.e. local, state or federal government service). If you are working in the medical field and your employer does not fit one of the two above categories, you may apply for eligibility to this program on a case-by-case basis. Please visit the "National Public Service Loan Forgiveness" link above for more information.

Scholarship Search Tool

Search a database with thousands of scholarships - from the Career One Stop website, with support from the US Department of Labor

Other Scholarships and Loan Programs for Health Care Professionals from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Income-Based and Income-Contingent Federal Loan Repayment Plans
Plans to give you the flexibility to meet your Direct Loans obligations without causing undue financial hardship.  From the US Department of Education.  See link for more information.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Education Award Links:

SERVICES THROUGH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN LICENSED MEDICAL STAFF

KSTAR (Physician Assessment)
Physician assessment and ongoing monitoring through Texas A&M Health Science Center.

J-1 Visas for Physicians
The Texas Primary Care Office assists with documentation for physicians practicing in Texas under the J-1 Visa program.

Welcome Back Initiative
A national nonprofit with a San Antonio office, working to support American licensure for medical professionals with credentials from other nations.