You poured years of your life and thousands of dollars into becoming a compassionate, highly skilled primary care provider (PCP). The last thing you expected was to have your well-earned salary (and your work-life balance) eaten alive by student loan debt.

For many NPs and PAs, the crushing debt load leads to a dangerous cycle: accepting unsustainable jobs, taking on endless extra shifts, and eventually drowning in the kind of unpaid, after-hours work that leads straight to burnout.

But here is the good news: your whole paycheck does not have to be devoured by your student loans. Your commitment to patient care in high-need areas is highly valued, and there are substantial federal and state programs designed to reward your service by repaying your loans.