Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: The Podcast by KevinMD
Episode: Capping student loans destroys the rural medical pipeline
Description: Kenneth Botelho, founding director of the doctor of medical science (DMSc) program at The College of St. Scholastica and a physician assistant, discusses his article "Federal graduate-loan caps threaten rural health care access." Kenneth explains how impending borrowing limits for physician assistant and nurse practitioner programs create an insurmountable barrier for students from the very communities that need providers most. He illustrates the paradox where government grants aim to stabilize rural health care while loan policies simultaneously cut off the supply of future clinicians. The conversation highlights the urgent need to align financial aid with public health goals to...