Nursing Scholarship Program

Applicant Information Bulletin: School Year 2009-2010
Glossary of Terms

CONTRACT - A written contract under Section 846(d) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, for a school year pursuant to which (1) the individual agrees to serve as a nurse for a period of not less than 2 years at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses and (2) the Federal government agrees to provide the individual with a scholarship, for attendance at a school of nursing during that school year.

FULL-TIME CLINICAL PRACTICE - Full-time clinical practice is defined as a minimum of 32 hours per week for a minimum of 45 weeks per year. At least 26 hours per week must be spent providing clinical services to patients. No more than 7 weeks (28 work days) per service year can be spent away from the approved practice site for vacation, holidays, continuing education, illness, maternity, or any other reason.  Absences of greater than 7 weeks in a 52-week service year will extend the service obligation end date.

FULL-TIME STUDENT - A student will be considered full-time if the student meets the nursing school program's definition of a full-time student.

FUNDING PREFERENCE - Funding preference is defined as the funding of a specific category or group of approved applicants ahead of other categories or groups of approved applicants.

HEALTH CARE FACILITY - A health care facility is one of the following:

1. Indian Health Service Health Center - A health care facility (whether operated directly by the Indian Health Service or operated by a tribe or tribal organization, contractor or grantee under the Indian Self-Determination Act, as described in 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 136, Subparts C and H, or by an urban Indian organization receiving funds under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act), which is physically separated from a hospital, and which provides clinical treatment services on an outpatient basis to persons of Indian or Alaskan Native descent as described in 42 CFR Section 136.12.
2. Native Hawaiian Health Center - An entity (a) which is organized under the laws of the State of Hawaii; (b) which provides or arranges for health care services through practitioners licensed by the State of Hawaii, where licensure requirements are applicable; (c) which is a public or nonprofit private entity; and (d) in which Native Hawaiian health practitioners significantly participate in the planning, management, monitoring, and evaluation of health services. See the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-579), as amended by P.L. 102-396.
3. Hospital - Any public or nonprofit private or for profit private entity in a State that is primarily engaged in providing, by or under the supervision of physicians, to inpatients (a) diagnostic services and therapeutic services for medical diagnosis, treatment, and care of injured, disabled, or sick persons, or (b) rehabilitation of injured, disabled, or sick persons.  Hospital-based outpatient services are included under this definition.
4. Federally Qualified Health Center - An entity receiving a grant, or funding from a grant, or meets the requirements for receiving  (but does not receive) a grant under section 330of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, to provide primary health services and other related services to a population that is medically underserved.   FQHCs include Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless Health Centers, Public Housing Primary Health Care Centers and FQHC Look-Alikes.
5. Rural Health Clinic - An entity which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has certified as a rural health clinic under section 1861(aa)(2) of the Social Security Act. A rural health clinic provides outpatient services to a non-urban area with an insufficient number of health care practitioners.
6. Nursing Home - An institution (or a distinct part of an institution), certified under section 1919(a) of the Social Security Act, which is primarily engaged in providing, on a regular basis, health-related care and service to individuals who because of their mental or physical condition require care and service (above the level of room and board) which can be made available to them only through institutional facilities, and is not primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases.
7. Home Health Agency - A public agency or private organization, certified under section 1861(o) of the Social Security Act, which is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care and other therapeutic services.
8. Hospice Program - A public agency or private organization, certified under section 1861(dd)(2) of the Social Security Act, which provides 24-hour care and treatment services (as needed) to terminally ill individuals and their families. This care is provided in individuals' homes, on an outpatient basis, and on a short-term inpatient basis, directly or under arrangements made by the agency or organization.
9. State or Local Public Health Department including a Public Health Clinic within the Departments - The State, county, parish or district entity in a State that is responsible for providing population focused health services which include health promotion, disease prevention and intervention services provided in clinics that are operated by the health department.
10. Skilled Nursing Facility - An institution (or a distinct part of an institution), certified under section 1819(a) of the Social Security Act, which is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care and related services to residents requiring medical, rehabilitation or nursing care and is not primary for the care and treatment of mental diseases.
11. Ambulatory Surgical Center - An entity in a State that provides surgical services to individuals on an outpatient basis and is not owned or operated by a hospital.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE - A period of approved absence from a course of study granted to a student by his or her nursing school for medical, personal, and other reasons. The leave of absence is usually granted for a period of 1 year or less. When a leave of absence is expected, a scholar is required to notify the Division of Scholar and Clinician Support, Scholar Support Branch immediately, in writing, and submit a letter from the school approving the leave of absence and indicating the start and end dates for the period of the absence. Payment of all benefits is discontinued when a scholar is on an approved leave of absence, and may be resumed when the student returns to the course of study for which the scholarship was awarded.

PART-TIME CLINICAL PRACTICE - Part-time clinical practice is defined as a minimum of 16 hours per week and up to a maximum of 31 hours per week, for a minimum of 45 weeks per year. At least 80% of the hours each week must be spent providing clinical services to patients. No more than 7 weeks (28 work days) per service year can be spent away from the approved practice site for vacation, holidays, continuing education, illness, maternity, or any other reason. Absences of greater than 7 weeks in a 52-week service year will extend the service obligation end date.

PART-TIME STUDENT - A less than full-time student will be considered part-time if the student is enrolled on at least a half-time basis (i.e., the student is taking a sufficient number of credit hours to meet or exceed 50% of the credit hours required by the nursing school program to be a full-time student).

QUALIFIED APPLICANT - A person who meets all of the eligibility requirements set forth in this Applicant Information Bulletin.

SCHOOL OF NURSING - The term 'school of nursing' means an accredited collegiate, associate degree, or diploma school of nursing in a State.

SCHOOL YEAR - All NSP scholarship contracts are for a specific year.  Under the NSP, all school years run from July 1 through June 30.  If, for example, a student is in a 24-month program that begins on August 3, 2009, and he/she signs contracts for 2 school years, the student will receive stipend, ORC and tuition payments through June 30, 2011.  Funding for the extra months of the program beyond June 30, 2011, would require a request for a third year of scholarship funding, and if granted, obligates the recipient to 3 full years of service commitment.  If a student is in a 24-month program that begins on May 3, 2009, and he/she signs contracts for 2 school years, the student will receive a stipend, ORC and tuition payments from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2011, or the month the recipient completes the required classes for graduation, whichever comes first. 

STATE - Includes the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Territory of Guam, the Territory of American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

SUSPENSION - Is a temporary status. The basis for a suspension would be a medical condition or a personal situation that: 1) would make it temporarily impossible to continue the service commitment or payment of the monetary debt, or 2) would temporarily involve an extreme hardship to the individual and enforcement of the service or payment commitment would be against equity and good conscience. All requests for a suspension must be submitted, in writing, to the Division of Scholar and Clinician Support and be supported by full medical and/or financial documentation.

THE SECRETARY - The Secretary of Health and Human Services, and any other officer or employee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to whom the authority to administer the NSP has been delegated.

UNDERGRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM – Any school of nursing program in which the student will receive a Diploma, Associate, or Baccalaureate degree (see a description of these programs in Section 1 “Applicant Eligibility.”

GRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM – Any department, division, or other administrative unit in a college or university which provides primarily or exclusively a program of education in professional nursing and related subjects leading to a graduate degree in nursing, or to an equivalent degree, and including advanced training related to such program of education provided by such school, but only if such program, or such unit, college of university is accredited.

UNENCUMBERED LICENSE – A license is unencumbered if it is not revoked, suspended, or made probationary or conditional by a licensing or registering authority in the applicable jurisdiction as the result of disciplinary action. 

WAIVER - Is a permanent status. The basis for a waiver would be a permanent medical condition or personal situation that: 1) would make it impossible for the individual to serve the commitment or pay the debt, or 2) would involve an extreme hardship to the individual and enforcement of the service of payment commitment would be against equity and good conscience. All requests for a waiver must be submitted in writing to the Division of Scholar and Clinician Support and be supported by full medical and financial documentation.

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