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Health Sciences Service Program (HSSP)
Eligibility
- Fourth-year medical students who are entering primary care or emergency medicine residency programs in West Virginia. Primary care residencies include family medicine, geriatrics, general internal medicine, internal medicine/pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, preventive medicine or psychiatry.
- Students in the final year of a graduate or doctoral program for nurse educators, nurse midwives, nurse practitioner, or occupational therapy.
- Students who are in the final year of a graduate program for physician assistants or public health
- Students in the final year of a doctoral program in dentistry, pharmacy, or physical therapy
- Students in the final year of a graduate social work program, leading to a career as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
- Students in the final year of doctoral clinical psychology program who intend to enter a clinical internship in West Virginia
Practice Sites
- Participants must sign a contract to fulfill service obligation after completing training
- Participants are responsible for locating a practice site
- Penalty for not fulfilling the service obligation is repayment of the award with interest
- Medical, dentistry, nurse midwifery, nurse practitioner, pharmacy, physician assistant, and physical therapy students are required to practice primary care or physical therapy for a minimum of two years in an underserved or rural area of West Virginia
- Social work and clinical psychology participants may practice at primary care sites or additional eligible sites -community mental health centers, state mental hospitals, or veterans' health facilities
- Participants in nursing education must sign a contract to teach for at least two years in a state approved, accredited undergraduate nursing program in West Virginia
Amount Available
- $30,000 for medical and dental students
- $15,000 for students training to become nurse educators, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physical assistants, clinical psychologists, public health practitioners, and social workers
Practice obligations may be served concurrently
- Click here to find more information about other obligations that can be served concurrently with HSSP
- Federal law prohibits concurrent service of HSSP obligation with some federal service obligations such as the National Health Service Crops loan repayment program
- For additional information, please contact Laura Boone
Contact Information
Jordyn Reed, M.P.A.
Program Administrator
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
2001 Union Carbide Drive
South Charleston, WV 25303
Phone: (304) 558-0838
Email: HSSP@wvhepc.edu