APTA Applauds Bill to Provide Relief From Physical Therapist Student Loan Debt

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Physical therapists who practice in areas where there are shortages of health care providers could become eligible for relief from student loan debt, thanks to legislation recently introduced in Congress. Representatives Marion Berry (D-AR 1st District) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO 8th District) led a bipartisan group of representatives in sponsoring the Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act (HR 1134), to make physical therapists who practice in areas where there are shortages of health professionals eligible for student loan repayment assistance under the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.

"Becoming a physical therapist involves devoting a significant amount of time in education and clinical experience, including completing graduate and in many cases doctoral degree programs. Due to the extensive education and clinical training requirements, many students begin their careers with a significant amount of debt load," said American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) President R Scott Ward, PT, PhD. "This new bill would help alleviate some of that burden and encourage more physical therapists to practice in underserved communities that need them the most."

"Rural America deserves the best health care we can provide, including access to high-quality physical therapy programs," said Representative Berry. "This legislation not only recognizes the critical role physical therapists play in helping Americans live healthy lives, but encourages gifted graduates to practice in underserved areas where the need for these programs far surpasses the number of qualified specialists."

"In rural America, the quality of health care is undeniably linked to the availability of services. It can be a real challenge to attract and keep expert physical therapists. As a result we should use the same incentives for them as we are able to use to keep registered nurses, medical technicians, and other personnel in underserved communities. The student loan repayment provisions of the National Health Service Corps should certainly be available to physical therapists," Representative Emerson said.

A companion bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate later this month. The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program currently includes primary care physicians, dentists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and mental behavioral health professionals practicing in Health Shortage Areas. The bill would add physical therapists to this list of providers eligible for the program. To learn more about the National Health Service Corps and Health Shortage Areas, visit http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/.

The American Physical Therapy Association is a national professional organization representing more than 70,000 members. Its goal is to foster advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education.

  Contact:  Rachel Reiter
  703/706-8548
  rachelreiter@apta.org