How to Maintain NHSC Site Status

To maintain status as a National Health Service Corps (NHSC)-approved site, your site must meet all site requirements. This also applies to auto-approved NHSC sites.

How to meet NHSC site requirements

In addition to the NHSC Site Agreement (PDF - 291 KB), your site must meet a set of requirements, as listed in the Site Reference Guide (PDF - 676 KB).

Below is a summary of those requirements:

Use the BHW Customer Service Portal

• Activate and maintain a Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) Customer Service Portal account.
  • Portal account creation is a two-step process.
  • Your account becomes active only after you respond to an email prompt from our system.
    • Your site must have at least two NHSC points of contact (unless a solo private practice.)
    • At least one person must serve in each of the following NHSC roles:
      • Administrator
      • Personnel Verifier
      • Recruiter
    • A point of contact can have multiple roles.
    • NHSC participants should not be a point of contact.
  • Update your role as needed.
    • Select My Program Portal Profile within the Need Assistance section.
• Create a site profile on the BHW Customer Service Portal.
  • Utilize the Site Points of Contact User Guide (PDF - 5 MB) for guidance
  • Your site profile will then display on the Health Workforce Connector.
• Contact us if there are any changes to your site including:
  • NHSC points of contact
  • NHSC participants
  • Location
  • Ownership
  • Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score

Display NHSC materials

• Continue to display:
  • NHSC tabletop sign (PDF - 288 KB) or NHSC tabletop sign (small) (PDF - 237 KB)
  • Site policy poster - English (PDF - 654 KB)

Maintain the Sliding Fee Discount Program

Continue to maintain the NHSC Sliding Fee Discount Program (PDF - 676 KB).

Participate in site visits

• Participate in a site visit from the Division of Regional Operations (DRO) or the State/Territorial Primary Care Office.
• Find out what to expect from site visits.

Apply for recertification

Submit an NHSC Site Recertification Application every three years (not necessary for eligible auto-approved NHSC sites).

Report on site data

Submit six months of data about your site through our Site Data Tables (PDF - 236 KB) form or online when submitting your site recertification.

• You will need to do this prior to a site visit or as part of your recertification application.
• The Site Data Tables are available for direct entry online in the recertification application.
• Site Data Table submission does not apply to some eligible auto-approved NHSC sites.

Provide support

Support NHSC clinicians.

How to support NHSC clinicians

NHSC clinicians enter into a contractual agreement with us. As a site, we ask that you allow them the opportunity to fulfill this agreement.

Specifically, we expect you to support NHSC clinicians in the following ways:

Obtain site approval

Be sure your site receives NHSC approval prior to a clinician applying for one of our NHSC programs.

Follow administrative guidelines

• Ensure NHSC clinicians:
  • Work at NHSC-approved sites located in HPSAs.
  • Understand the minimum HPSA score necessary for placement at an NHSC site.
  • Follow the minimum hourly and weekly NHSC clinical service requirements.
    • The employment contract between your site and your NHSC participant(s) may require additional work hours.
  • Can participate in NHSC Continuing Education and NHSC program webinars and/or conferences.
  • Receive appropriate supervision, as well as needed orientation, training, and mentorship regarding your site’s processes and procedures, client population, and primary care practice.
• Make their personnel documents, communications, and/or practice related documents available for review.

Complete employment verification

Complete NHSC Employment Verification Forms (EVF) through the BHW Customer Service Portal for all NHSC sites.

• Fill out an EVF if you terminate a clinician or they wish to transfer to another NHSC-approved site. Include the following:
  • The date in which the clinician last saw patients
  • Last day at your site
  • Clinical competency issues while at your site
  • Any disciplinary action while at your site
• Upon approval of the transfer request, you are responsible for reviewing and confirming the clinician’s reported leave for the period of time that they were employed at your site.

Report In-Service Verification

• Report their leave on the In-Service Verification forms (ISV).
  • They may not spend more than seven weeks a year (35 full-time or 35 half-time workdays) away from clinical practice with the NHSC.
  • Verify and report any time away from the site (e.g., vacation, holidays, continuing professional education, or illness).
• Complete an ISV for active clinicians every six months through the BHW Customer Service Portal.
• Watch our NHSC In-Service Verification for Site POCs for more assistance with completing the form.

Report site status changes

View our NHSC Site Status Change Request for Site POCs video for information on your role in changes to a clinician's site status

Complete suspension requests

View our NHSC Suspension for Site POCs video for details on completing a clinician's suspension of service request

What are NHSC clinicians’ service requirements?

To maintain a successful partnership with your NHSC clinicians, you need to understand their clinical service requirements.

Review

• NHSC Loan Repayment Program Application and Program Guidance (PDF - 809 KB)
• NHSC Substance Use Disorder Loan Repayment Program Application Program Guidance (PDF - 783 KB)
• NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program Application Program Guidance (PDF - 827 KB)
• NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program Application and Program Guidance (PDF - 594 KB)
• NHSC Scholarship Program Application and Program Guidance (PDF - 614 KB)

How many hours must participants serve?

Full-time service: clinicians must work a minimum of 40 hours per week in a clinical practice, for a minimum of 45 weeks per service year.

The 40 hours per week should be compressed into no fewer than four days per week, with no more than 12 hours of work performed in any 24-hour period.

Half-time service: clinicians must work a minimum of 20 hours and a maximum of 39 hours per week in a clinical practice, for a minimum of 45 weeks per service year.

The 20 hours per week should be compressed into no fewer than two days per week, with no more than 12 hours of work performed in any 24-hour period.