GOT STUDENT LOANS? UF HEALTH SHANDS CAN HELP
Tuition reimbursement and student loan financial support programs now available
The achievement of one’s dream clinical career may come with a high price tag. Valuable, and, yes — expensive — coursework can leave some clinicians beginning their career in a notable amount of debt.
Thankfully, more than 30 clinical license/certification required positions at UF Health Shands are eligible to apply for a financial support program to help ease the burden of student loans. Unique opportunities include increased tuition reimbursement, student loan coaching and immediate eligibility for student loan financial support — all of which launched in July.
“The tuition loan support in particular is not a widely-offered benefit by many employers,” said Gayla Beach, associate vice president of UF Health Shands Human Resources.
For student loan financial support, full-time benefits eligible employees can receive $150 per month (tax-free) toward their loans and part-time benefits-eligible employees can receive $75 per month (tax-free) toward their loans.
To receive monthly student loan financial support, employees must work in a position that requires one of the following licenses or certificates to qualify:
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
- Anesthesiologist Assistant/Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
- Audiologist
- Cardiovascular Technologist
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- Clinical Laboratory Technician/Medical Lab Technician
- Clinical Laboratory Technologist/Medical Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Supervisor
- Dietitian
- Endoscopy Technician
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Medical Assistant
- Occupational Therapist
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy Technician
- Phlebotomist
- Physician Assistant
- Physical Therapist
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Polysomnography Technologist
- Provisional Speech-Language Pathologist
- Radiation Therapist
- Radiologic Technologist
- Respiratory Therapist
- Registered Nurse
- Speech-Language Pathologist
- Surgical Technologist
Under increased tuition reimbursement, qualifying employees can now get a maximum of $5,250 per calendar year in tax-free tuition reimbursement for undergraduate and graduate degree coursework. Additionally, student loan coaching is available to all benefits-eligible employees and provides essential assistance to employees navigating Public Service Loan Forgiveness guidelines, including helping an employee review their current loans and sharing possible alternatives for them to consider.
“We believe these benefits will have a positive impact on our staff recruitment and retention efforts,” Beach said.
