The purpose of this program is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide. NFLP seeks to accomplish this by providing funding to accredited schools of nursing to establish and operate a student loan fund and provide loans to students enrolled in advanced education nursing degree programs who are committed to becoming nurse faculty. In exchange for completion of up to four years of post graduation full-time nurse faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing, the program authorizes cancellation of up to 85 percent of the original student loan amount
(plus interest thereon).The goals of this program are to:
- Support training of advanced education nursing students who will serve as nurse faculty upon graduation, with a focus on doctorate preparation
- Decrease the financial barrier of serving as nurse faculty through loan cancellation
- Increase the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide
- Address the nationwide primary care provider shortage by increasing access to designated joint nurse faculty (serving as Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) preceptors, etc.); and
- Foster the recruitment and training of a diverse nurse faculty workforce. This NOFO encourages applicants and grant recipients to recruit and train a diverse nursing workforce, but please note the NFLP is a formula-based award and award selections will not be impacted by applicants' (including new and continuing competing award recipient) diversity recruitment efforts
Applicants are encouraged to select and address one of the clinical priorities below which include HHS's and HRSA's priorities.
- Combating the opioid crisis/Improving Mental Health
- Value-based care delivery and quality improvement initiatives
- Transforming the workforce – targeting the need
- Expanding telehealth services
- Maternal Mortality
The NFLP supports institutions committed to preparing advanced degree nursing students to serve as nurse faculty, especially those with a focus on doctoral preparation, thereby addressing the national nursing faculty shortage. Additionally, NFLP addresses the nationwide primary care provider shortage by encouraging APRNs to serve as preceptors within an academic-practice partnership framework. These partnerships will be formed by an NFLP graduate who serves as a full time clinical preceptor, in exchange for loan cancellation, and the school in need of a preceptor for their APRN students.
This program does not allow award funds to be used for indirect costs. Awardees may use a reasonable amount of funds toward loan collection costs for outstanding NFLP loans.