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Review Site HPSA Score and Job Search Requirements for NHSC Scholars

Make a smooth transition from training to practice. Understand your employment deadlines and NHSC-approved site requirements.

How to understand Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores

Site Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score requirements differ by specialty and class year. The end of your training determines your class year (CY) and aligns with the government fiscal year (FY).

How do we calculate HPSA scores?

We follow three steps to calculate the score each year.

How to understand employment deadlines

  • Physicians
    Must start work within six months of the end of (required) residency
  • Dentists
    Must start work within six (6) months of the end of (optional) residency OR within six (6) months of graduation
  • Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants
    Must start work within six (6) months of the end of (optional) residency OR within six (6) months of graduation

What are the notifications and deadlines for CY 2024 NHSC Scholars?

When What Happens?
Summer 2024
  • We will ask you to select top three states or territories where you would like to practice.
  • We assign you a Regional Analyst to oversee your site search.
  • Begin networking and start your job search using available NHSC tools
  • Ongoing contact with your Regional Analyst.
February 1, 2025
  • Deadline to submit Notice of Intent to accept a chief residency or fellowship position through the BHW Customer Service Portal. We grant deferments in one year increments.
April 15, 2025
  • Deadline to continue postgraduate residency training for physicians or dentists through the BHW Customer Service Portal. We grant deferments in one-year increments.

How to learn site HPSA requirements

Prior to July 1 of each year, we publish the minimum Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score for scholarship participants in the final year of health professions training.

What are HPSA score requirements by class year?

NHSC-approved sites must meet the HPSA score requirements* by class year (CY):

Discipline CY 2025 CY 2024 CY 2023 CY 2022 CY 2021
Primary Care Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), & Nurse Practitioner (NP) 19 19 18 20 20
Physician Assistant (PA) 5 3 5 14 20
Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) 16 7 14 10 18
Dentists (DDS & DMD) 3 19 18 20 20
Psychiatric (MD & DO) 19 19 18 20 20

*Nurse practitioners and physician assistants were not broken out by specialty in this year’s HPSA scoring for mental health.

Note: An NHSC-approved site may no longer be available, or its HPSA score may change, by the time you are ready to serve.

If you interview at a site and submit an official interview request via your BHW Customer Service Portal account, we will honor the original HPSA score of the site for up to six (6) months after the date of your interview, even if the site’s HPSA score changes.

We reserve the right to make final decisions on all sites to comply with statutory requirements. Learn more about the CY 2025 HPSA score and how sites may provide additional information.

How to identify where you want to work

  • Review the different types of NHSC-approved sites.
  • Consider site size, patient population, organizational support, and work schedule options.
  • Think about what kind of environment and location best suit you and your family.
  • Make a list of your “must haves” vs. “nice to haves.”
  • Be flexible and keep an open mind about high-need areas across the country.
  • Remember the HPSA score requirement.

How to begin your job search

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