New BIG Incentive Underway to get Nurses to Rural Idaho

The pandemic has been difficult on many industries but none so much as the medical industry. Hospitals around the country including here in Idaho have been going through intense waves and grueling ups and downs. Many nurses and medical staff quit the profession and have found jobs elsewhere because the stress and constant pressure became too much.

Rural communities, neighborhoods and towns are having an even harder time keeping on the staff that is needed. The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee has been coming up with a plan to incentivize new nurse recruits to work in more rural areas of the gem state.

Idaho Capital Sun says,  "The legislation, Senate Bill 1287, would create a state-funded student loan repayment program for nurses who work in Idaho’s rural towns. The bill creates a bucket, and the Legislature would then have to appropriate the money to fund the program, which is proposed at $250,000 per year."

This program is hoping to attract nurses from bigger communities like Boise, the Treasure Valley and Twin Falls to smaller areas in the state that need them.

According to The Idaho Press, "Nurses would be eligible for up to $75,000 in student loan repayment assistance over a three-year period. The actual yearly amount could depend on several factors, such as the nurse’s student loan debt and how many hours a week the nurse devotes to rural health care. While the program would be open to all eligible nurses, Idahoans who graduate from an Idaho nursing school would get priority."

My sister is in the Navy and her education pay back program is not even that good, so this is definitely something worth looking into if you or someone you know has an interest in health care.

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