Stripping nursing degrees of professional status causes harm | Opinion

As part of its "Big Beautiful Bill Act," the Trump Administration controversially redefined the term  professional degree to exclude nursing and, most recently, public health degrees. This declaration, while seemingly harmless, substantially threatens the storied legacy and continued survival of these health fields. 

If the recent COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that nurses and public health practitioners are instrumental to the preservation of population health. From rendering direct patient care to developing data-driven interventions, these first-line professionals selflessly place themselves in the line of fire on a daily basis. They knowingly and willingly expose themselves to diseases and illnesses, all out of a genuine desire to provide exemplary care and compassion to the sick and the dying. However, the decision by the Trump Administration to strip nursing and public health degrees of their former "professional" designation only serves to de-value the accomplishments of these brave men and women in their pursuit to ensure positive health outcomes for their respective populations. 

Funds for studying nursing and public health could be limited

On a much deeper level, however, striking nursing and public health degrees from the "professional degree" lexicon threatens the very survival of these fields. This is because it limits the amount of federal student loan assistance nursing and public health students can borrow in order to continue their studies. This creates a precarious situation that not only threatens the ability of these students to afford their degrees, it also places an unnecessary burden on the steadily shrinking and overworked population of nurses and public health practitioners. 

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The inherent financial implications of this reckless declaration is also likely to dissuade prospective nursing and public health students from pursuing careers in these fields while current students are likely to either (a) discontinue their education altogether due to the combination of rising costs and limited pools of federal student loan funding; or (b) fund their education with private student loan funds which, unlike their federal counterparts, carry much higher interest rates, associated fees and monthly payments; less flexible deferment options; and non-existent forgiveness programs. Consequently, those who pursue private student loans are saddled with significantly higher student loan debt.  

With prospective students possibly shying away from nursing and public health for more affordable career fields and current students left to make the difficult decision to either drop out of school or endure the unsettling reality of drowning in an endless sea of private student loan debt, the future landscape of nursing and public health appears to be bleak. This is further compounded by an ageing population of current nurses and public health practitioners that is eventually lost to burn out, job dissatisfaction, retirement and many other factors, and the continuous emergence of new health threats. 

 Trump Administration decision demonstrates a lack of understanding

As a public health degree holder myself, the Trump Administration's declaration represents both a personal and professional affront. Denying nursing and public health students access to additional federal funding demonstrates a lack of understanding, recognition and respect for the fundamental importance of nursing and public health; it also communicates a lack of empathy and sensitivity to the desire of ambitious students to make a tangible and meaningful difference in preserving both national and global health. It also illustrates a lack of empathy and respect for nurses and public health practitioners throughout the United States, who are continuously inundated — and understandably worn down — by COVID-19, monkeypox, RSV and several other epidemics that have occurred in recent years.   

I am genuinely concerned about the future of nursing and public health. Current students are the replacements of current nurses and public health practitioners and, given the endless array of health threats, they should be focused on completing their studies so they can combat these threats someday. They should not be concerned with the additional stress of how they are going to afford their education. They should not be concerned with being saddled with a lifetime of student loan debt.

To this end, I challenge and implore the Trump Administration to reconsider its decision and formally recognize nursing and public health degrees as professional degrees. Failure to do so sets a dangerous precedent that not only impacts current students and professionals, but it also threatens the future trajectory of nursing and public health. 

Respectfully, 

Dr. Vanessa M. Griffith, DrPH, PMP, PHR, is a research scientist with the Envision Health Access Initiative.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Nursing and public health degrees deserve professional status | Opinion