ANA urges the recognition of post-baccalaureate nursing programs as professional degrees to protect access to advanced nursing education and patient care
SILVER SPRING, MD – Today, the American Nurses Association (ANA) formally submitted its official comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education urging the department to classify post-baccalaureate nursing degrees as “professional” degrees as it implements federal graduate student loan provisions in H.R. 1.
In its comment letter, ANA directly calls on the Department of Education to explicitly recognize that post-baccalaureate nursing programs, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP), and Doctor in Philosophy in Nursing (PhD), are professional degrees so that nursing students pursuing these critical programs have access to higher federal graduate loan borrowing limits.
Federal graduate student loans are essential for nurses seeking to advance into critical roles across advanced practice, education, and research. Access to postbaccalaureate nursing programs enables entry into advanced nursing professions and faculty positions that millions of Americans rely on for high quality, essential healthcare. Nurse faculty, in particular, play a central role in educating and preparing the next generation of nurses to meet current and future health care demands and to prevent the national nursing shortage from worsening.
Excluding nursing degrees from professional degree eligibility jeopardizes workforce sustainability, limits access to care and directly contradicts this Administration’s stated investments in strengthening the nursing pipeline and recognizing the indispensable role nurses play in the nation’s healthcare system.
ANA calls on the Department of Education to not finalize a rulemaking that would make it harder for the American public to have access to highly educated and trained, licensed, and deeply committed advanced practice nurses.
Read the full letter here.
