Step 1: Prepare for NHSC Service

As a National Health Service Corps Scholar (NHSC) Scholar or Student to Service (S2S) awardee, you must begin employment within (6) months from graduation or end of training at a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) site with a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score that meets your service obligation by your respective program and discipline.

You are responsible for communicating with potential employers and obtaining a job offer.

To prepare for service, you must:

1. Communicate with the NHSC using the BHW Customer Service Portal
2. Review your NHSC service commitment
3. Understand NHSC-approved sites
4. Understand Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores and how they impact your service obligation.

Communicate with the NHSC

• As a scholar, you will receive a message in the BHW Customer Service Portal notifying you of the assigned Question (ID#) that you will use for all employment-related correspondence.
• Alerts from noreply@hrsa.gov are sent to your personal email, notifying you of a new portal message.

• Use this Question (ID#) in the BHW Customer Service Portal to communicate with an NHSC regional analyst. The regional analyst will provide administrative support, monitor your employment search progress, and answer all employment-related questions throughout your Transition to Service process.

  Note: If you have other questions (such as programmatic, disbursements, or half-time conversion requests), go to Ask a Question in the BHW Customer Service Portal.

• To communicate directly with a regional analyst using the Question (ID#):

  1. Go to Activities/Activity Type/Question (ID#). 

     
  2. Select Contact Us at the bottom of the page to directly reply to the NHSC analyst.
• Use the BHW Customer Service Portal to update personal contact information, upload employment documents, and request site visit travel, relocation, and reimbursement.

Review your service commitment

• Begin employment at an NHSC-approved site no later than six months from graduation or end of training, as stated in your signed NHSC contract.
• Ensure that the NHSC-approved site has a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score that matches your HPSA Score Requirements by program:
  • NHSC Scholarship Program: HPSA score requirements by discipline & class year
  • Student to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program scholars: HPSA score of 14 or above
• Refer to your program’s Application and Program Guidance (APG) to obtain a complete understanding of your commitment, service commitment requirements to include work hours, financial liabilities, and legal obligations as stated in the NHSC program statute and contract.
  • Student to Service Loan Repayment Program (PDF - 838 KB)
  • National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program (PDF - 554 KB)

Understand NHSC-approved sites:

• NHSC sites are only outpatient clinics or Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
• To become an NHSC-approved site, a site must initially apply for approval and recertify every three years to remain in the program. Learn more about the NHSC New Site Application and Recertification requirements.
• Some sites are auto approved and do not have to apply for recertification. These site types include:
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
  • FQHC Look-Alikes
  • American Indian health facilities
  • Federal correctional or detention facilities

Understand HPSA scores and how they impact your service obligation

• Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores are federally designated in conjunction with each state and county, are subject to change, and range from 0 (least need) to 26 (highest need).
• The three types of HPSA categories are Primary Care, Dental, and Mental Health.
• You can search for HPSA scores using HPSA Find. Go to Tools, Shortage Area by Address.
• You can also search for HPSA scores for a site using the Health Workforce Connector. Type the site’s location and select Search. Under the Sites tab, select a site to see HPSA and other scores.
• A site must have an eligible HPSA score for your respective discipline. For example, a dentist must work at a site with a Dental HPSA score.
• Review HPSA Score Requirements by program:
  • NHSC Scholarship Program: HPSA score requirements by discipline & class year
  • Student to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program scholars: HPSA score of 14 or above

Contact us

Call 1-800-221-9393
(TTY: 1-877-897-9910) M – F, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET
(except federal holidays)
Email us or GetHelp@hrsa.gov
BHW Customer Service Portal, select Ask a Question