The family medicine specialty is in high demand throughout the country. Communities, hospitals, managed care organizations and physician groups are all actively recruiting graduates of family medicine residency programs. Recognizing the demand for primary care physicians, there are several loan repayment programs that offer incentives for physicians who choose to practice in underserved areas.

State of Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program
The Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program (OPLRP) is a program in which American primary care physicians agree to practice primary care medicine full-time (40 hours per week) for a two-year period at an eligible site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or Health Resource Shortage Area. They also agree to provide services to all patients, regardless of ability to pay and are required to accept Medicaid and Medicare patients, provide culturally appropriate care, and post appropriate signage indicating care is available to all. For the first two-year contract, selected applicants can receive up to $25,000 annually for repayment of outstanding health professions training debt. Clinicians who remain at their practice sites may be eligible to receive up to $35,000 annually for the third and fourth years. For more information on the programs available, visit the Ohio Department of Health Web site.

National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is a federal program housed in the Bureau of Health Professions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NHSC has both a scholarship and loan repayment program for eligible health professionals in exchange for health care in designated underserved areas. Family physicians have participated in the loan repayment program. Participants of both the scholarship and loan repayment programs are placed into health professional shortage areas designated by the U.S. Office of Shortage Designation. More information can be found on the NHSC Web site.

Jobs that Qualify for Ohio Loan Repayment and National Health Service Corp Programs

Debt Management Services
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) offers an online resource for all medical students and residents broken into three key training sections: Before Applying to Medical School, Once You Are Accepted to Medical School and As You Approach Graduation. Visit this guide at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/otherpubs/debtmgmt.html.

You might also find help through the Association of American Medical Colleges educational debt management services. It provides objective information on how to manage your student loans during residency and beyond. Visit its Web site at http://www.aamc.org/debtmanagement or contact Paul Garrard, AAMC director of student financial services, by sending an e-mail to pgarrard@aamc.org or by calling 800.828.0511.