The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is a national professional organization representing nurse practitioners, providing advocacy, continuing education, research support, and policy engagement related to advanced nursing practice and patient care.
Coverage areas
Guests (1)
Episodes (1)
2026-02-24
Dr. Valerie Fuller: How a proposed federal student loan rule could impact availability of healthcare in the U.S.with Dr. Valerie Fuller
In Dr. Valerie Fuller, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), joined the Health Policy Podcast to discuss a federal policy proposal that could have significant implications for the health care workforce and patient access to care across the country. AANP is the largest organization representing nurse practitioners in the United States. In January, the U.S. Department of Education released a proposed rule that would redefine which degree programs qualify as “professional” for the purposes of federal student loan limits. While this may sound technical, the decision could directly impact nurse practitioner students and, ultimately, the availability of care in communities nationwide. Dr. Fuller discussed what this proposal means and why it has drawn national attention.
Notable quotes
“Nursing was not included in the professional category.”
“If the proposed rule goes through, your loan amount would be capped at 20,500 a year with a hundred thousand dollars cap.”
“We already have a shortage of faculty, but add to that, now they're gonna have lower amounts available to them to go back to get graduate education.”
“With fewer healthcare providers, you're gonna have longer wait times to see a primary care provider.”
“By excluding nurse practitioner programs from the definition of professional degree, the department's really outta step with modern healthcare.”
“Nurse practitioners are the answer to that problem. We can answer the call, but we need the educational funds to get us there.”