¹240.4076  Nursing scholarship program.--

(1)  There is established within the Department of Health a scholarship program for the purpose of attracting capable and promising students to the nursing profession.

(2)  A scholarship applicant shall be enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in the upper division of an approved nursing program leading to the award of a baccalaureate degree or graduate degree to qualify for a nursing faculty position or as an advanced registered nurse practitioner or be enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in an approved program leading to the award of an associate degree in nursing.

(3)  A scholarship may be awarded for no more than 2 years, in an amount not to exceed $8,000 per year. However, registered nurses pursuing a graduate degree for a faculty position or to practice as an advanced registered nurse practitioner may receive up to $12,000 per year. Beginning July 1, 1998, these amounts shall be adjusted by the amount of increase or decrease in the consumer price index for urban consumers published by the United States Department of Commerce.

(4)  Credit for repayment of a scholarship shall be as follows:

(a)  For each full year of scholarship assistance, the recipient agrees to work for 12 months in a faculty position in a college of nursing or community college nursing program in this state or at a health care facility in a medically underserved area as approved by the Department of Health. Scholarship recipients who attend school on a part-time basis shall have their employment service obligation prorated in proportion to the amount of scholarship payments received.

(b)  Eligible health care facilities include nursing homes and hospitals in this state, state-operated medical or health care facilities, public schools, county health departments, federally sponsored community health centers, colleges of nursing in universities in this state, and community college nursing programs in this state, family practice teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805, or specialty children's hospitals as described in s. 409.9119. The recipient shall be encouraged to complete the service obligation at a single employment site. If continuous employment at the same site is not feasible, the recipient may apply to the department for a transfer to another approved health care facility.

(c)  Any recipient who does not complete an appropriate program of studies or who does not become licensed shall repay to the Department of Health, on a schedule to be determined by the department, the entire amount of the scholarship plus 18 percent interest accruing from the date of the scholarship payment. Moneys repaid shall be deposited into the Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Trust Fund established in s. 240.4075. However, the department may provide additional time for repayment if the department finds that circumstances beyond the control of the recipient caused or contributed to the default.

(d)  Any recipient who does not accept employment as a nurse at an approved health care facility or who does not complete 12 months of approved employment for each year of scholarship assistance received shall repay to the Department of Health an amount equal to two times the entire amount of the scholarship plus interest accruing from the date of the scholarship payment at the maximum allowable interest rate permitted by law. Repayment shall be made within 1 year of notice that the recipient is considered to be in default. However, the department may provide additional time for repayment if the department finds that circumstances beyond the control of the recipient caused or contributed to the default.

(5)  Scholarship payments shall be transmitted to the recipient upon receipt of documentation that the recipient is enrolled in an approved nursing program. The Department of Health shall develop a formula to prorate payments to scholarship recipients so as not to exceed the maximum amount per academic year.

(6)  The Department of Health shall adopt rules, including rules to address extraordinary circumstances that may cause a recipient to default on either the school enrollment or employment contractual agreement, to implement this section and may solicit technical assistance relating to the conduct of this program from the Department of Health.

(7)  The Department of Health is authorized to recover from the Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Trust Fund its costs for administering the nursing scholarship program.

History.--s. 2, ch. 92-137; s. 9, ch. 95-143; s. 27, ch. 97-101; s. 17, ch. 97-237; s. 4, ch. 98-89; s. 16, ch. 98-191; s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321; s. 20, ch. 2001-104; s. 3, ch. 2001-203; s. 92, ch. 2001-277.