Nurses who earn a master’s ordoctorate degree and then teach full-time at an accredited nursingschool would have their student loans paid off under a new bill inthe U.S. House. Nurses would be repaid up to $40,000 for a master’sdegree and up to $80,000 for a doctorate under H.R. 1460.

The measure, which would create afederal student loan repayment program, was introduced late last weekby Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Tom Latham (R-IA). Grant recipientswould have to teach for four years to qualify for the loan repayment.

The proposal is in response to whatsome call a deepening nurse shortage in long-term care, andhealthcare overall. The most recent study from the AmericanAssociation of Colleges of Nursing showed that nursing schools turnedaway almost 50,000 qualified nursing school applicants. The topreason cited (62.5%) was a shortage of nursing school faculty.