(BPT) - With national healthcare workforce shortages continuing to impact patient access to care across the country, groups like the American Academy of Physicians Associates (AAPA) - the national organization that represents physician associates/assistants (PAs) - are actively working to raise awareness of a proposed rule from the Department of Education (ED).
In early November, ED announced its decision to set a definition of a "professional program" that excludes PAs, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, physical and occupational therapists, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and others from eligibility for higher federal student loan limits.
If the proposal is finalized, the new loan limit of $25,000 annually would take effect in July 2026.
"Federal student loans are not a luxury for students who are called to caring professions; they are a lifeline," said AAPA President and Chair of the Board of Directors, Todd Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FASCO.
"Twenty-seven years ago, I took out $87,000 in federal loans to become a PA. Without those loans, I would not have become a clinician. I would not have cared for thousands of patients, including those with cancer whose lives depended on timely access to our team."
Pickard said that since the proposal was announced, AAPA has received nearly 2,000 stories from PAs attesting to how federal loans were essential to their education, as well as aspiring PAs who are expressing fear that even if they are accepted into a PA program - which are highly competitive - they will not be able to pay for it.
"Neither my family nor I have the financial ability to overcome such a burden without the support of federal Grad PLUS loans," said Jasmine Vasquez, an aspiring PA from Loganville, Georgia. "I have pushed myself, persevered, and overcome adversity to get to this point. Being so close to my goal, it is heartbreaking to imagine my journey ending - not because of lack of determination or ability, but simply because I could not afford to continue."
In a November 6 ED press release, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent stated the consensus language reached by the negotiators will "help drive a sea change in higher education by holding universities accountable for outcomes and putting significant downward pressure on the cost of tuition."
However, some leaders in Congress, including Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17), have spoken out against this proposal, underscoring that it does not align with Congress's intention when it passed updates to federal student loans through The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).
H.R. 1 eliminated the Grad PLUS loan program and established tiered loan limits for graduate programs. A team of negotiators at ED was then charged with defining which programs would be assigned to each tier.
It was during this process that several advanced care clinicians, including PAs, who are educated at the master's degree level and require a license to practice, were assigned to a loan tier that does not cover the cost of their education.
On December 1, Lawler sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon encouraging the ED to maintain a broader definition of "professional degrees" consistent with federal law and workforce needs.
"At a time when our healthcare system is strained, and communities desperately need qualified professionals, the Department must make this critical change before finalizing the rule," Lawler stated in a press release.
Lawler's next step was introducing the Professional Student Degree Act on December 17, which would amend the Higher Education Act to define "professional degree" and lists the graduate programs which meet the criteria.
"Any degree that fits the specified criteria in the 'professional degree' definition should qualify for higher loan limits," Lawler stated in his release. "For so many essential workers that need advanced degrees and licenses to simply do their job, it will make all the difference."
Like Lawler and others in Congress who have raised concern, Pickard said AAPA is committed to pursuing every available option to ensure PA programs are recognized as professional degrees and that future PAs can access the education they need to serve their communities.
"If federal student loans are not appropriately available for aspiring PAs, the pipeline of healthcare providers will suffer," Pickard said.
"People who are going into healthcare should be able to get the financial assistance they need so they can come out the other end and take care of patients. That is the standard we should be working toward."