With graduation behind them, health professions students in Connecticut are trading textbooks for the real world\u2014trading late-night studying for job hunts and new apartments. However, a significant financial hurdle looms ahead: the high cost of their degrees.<\/p>\n
As part of its mission to expand and retain Connecticut\u2019s healthcare workforce, especially in underserved areas, the Connecticut Area Health Education Center (CT AHEC), based at UConn Health, launched the Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Program (CT SLRP) in 2024 that has provided student loan debt relief, training, and professional support to 188 clinicians serving in federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). HPSAs are designated geographic areas, subgroups of a population, or specific facilities where there is a shortage of primary care, dental health, or mental health providers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile statewide estimates suggest clinician debt often exceeds $130,000, our CT SLRP data show a broad distribution, with many clinicians in our CT SLRP program carrying $35,000\u2013$95,000, and a substantial subset\u2014especially in primary care\u2014holding significantly higher debt, including balances above $100,000 and in some cases exceeding $500,000,\u201d said Cecil Tengatenga, associate director of CT AHEC. (Note that under a standard federal repayment plan with a blended 7.5% interest rate, the monthly payment on a $130,000 debt would be about $1,500 per month for 10 years.)<\/p>\n
With substantial debt like this, CT SLRP is providing longed-for relief to clinicians in the program. \u00a0\u201cOut of 188 awardees, nearly one-third will have all their outstanding loan debts paid off following the end of their two-year service period,\u201d according to Karen Pasquale, CT SLRP administrative officer. Among the program\u2019s sixteen eligible licensures, registered nurses (RNs) represent the largest group at 32.8%, followed by licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) at 17.9% and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) at 12.1%.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cCT SLRP is a tool for workforce retention, cost savings, and preserving access to quality healthcare in Connecticut. The need for sustainable retention programs like CT SLRP has never been more urgent,\u201d says Petra Clark-Dufner, director of CT AHEC. \u201cThis demonstration project has reaffirmed what clinicians and communities have known for years: loan repayment is essential to recruitment and retention in shortage areas. That\u2019s why our team sought to secure additional funding to extend CT SLRP for future cohorts.\u201d CT AHEC was recently awarded new funding to continue their work.<\/p>\n
SLRP awardee Katelynn Skomro, RN, said that the support from CT SLRP helped her on many levels. \u201cThis support has allowed me to reduce financial burdens, further my education, and grow in my field. As a result, I have been able to help more patients in my community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The areas where the CT SLRP awardees were placed often have a hard time attracting and retaining healthcare professionals because of heavy workloads, low wages, professional isolation, and a lack of lifestyle amenities and partner opportunities. \u201cSo, the healthcare providers and the communities have both benefitted from this program,\u201d said Clark-Dufner.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the program\u2019s 2024 \u00a0inception, CT SLRP awardees have provided care to over 15,331 patients (mostly Medicaid patients) and worked for over 61 healthcare organizations and at 141 medical practice sites across the state,\u201d according to Pasquale.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, CT AHEC\u2019s efforts to reduce health professionals\u2019 student debt burden is \u00a0about stability: for clinicians, for patients, and for every Connecticut resident who relies on consistent, high-quality care,\u201d says Tengatenga. \u201cContinued investment ensures that Connecticut not only attracts clinicians to areas of need but keeps them there– strengthening the health of every community across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n