An upcoming change to federal policy surrounding student loan limits for various degree programs may threaten existed nursing shortages in Texas, Houston Public Media reported April 6.
The U.S. Department of Education’s proposed rule going into effect in July would cap narrow which programs are considered “professional degrees,” which will be allowed a higher student loan borrowing limit of $2000,000. Nursing would not be included in this narrowed definition, thus given an annual borrowing limit of $20,500, and a total borrowing limit of $100,000.
Teneisha Howard, MSN, RN, president of the Metroplex Black Nurses Association and a nursing professional development specialist, told the publication that the new rule runs counter to the “reality of our health care needs,” given the shortage of nurses in Texas. Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, CEO of the Texas Nurses Association, told Houston Public Media that prior regulation also did not include nursing on the list of professional degrees, but also treated the list as nonexhausted.
“[The DOE] just didn’t have any controls essentialy around who was getting higher limits,” she said. However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year required DOE to identify which programs will be eligible for higher federal student loan limits.
According to the state health department, Texas has one of the worst nursing shortages in the U.S. The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies projects there will be a deficit of 57,000 full-time RNs by 2032, according to the report, while Texas continues to grow in population at one of the fastest rates in the nation.
“We will also need more advanced practice nurses, so these are family nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists,” Dr. Bumpus said.
CRNAs shortages could prove to be particularly harmful as anesthesia workforce shortages overall continue to delay surgeries and drive up the cost of both inpatient and outpatient surgical care. CRNAs represent a significant portion of the anesthesia workforce, especially in rural areas, where 75% of CRNAs report practicing independently. By 2033, the U.S. is projected to face a shortage of about 12,500 CRNAs, nearly 22% of the current workforce. However, demand remains high, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 38% growth in the field by 2032, making a CRNA one of the fastest-growing healthcare roles.
The DOE told HPM that its data indicate that 95% of nursing students borrow below the lower loan limit of $100,000. But Dr. Bumpus countered that several factors can contribute to more money being borrowed.
“Nursing is not set up like, say, physical therapy, for example, where you get a baccalaureate degree and then go straight into a doctor program,” she said. “A lot of people will take a stepwise approach and they’ll get a master’s degree first and then they’ll go back and get a doctorate degree,” which can mean a higher overall cost.
The DOE told the publication that the rule is still subject to changes after the public comment period concluded in March.
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