1. (1) "Applicant" means an individual who submits a completed application and meets the application requirements established by the department for a loan repayment grant or scholarship grant under Section 26B-4-702.

2. (2) "Approved site" means a department-reviewed and department-accepted site where a recipient may fulfill a service obligation and that meets the eligibility criteria established in this rule, including:

   1. (a) a site located within an underserved area within the state which:

      1. (i) provides health care; and

      2. (ii) the majority of patients served are medically underserved due to:

         1. (A) a lack of health care insurance;
         2. (B) an unwillingness of existing geriatric professional and health care professionals to accept patients covered by government health programs; or
         3. (C) other economic or language barriers to health care access; or

   2. (b) a Utah nursing school or training institution that:

      1. (i) provides a nursing education course of study to prepare persons for the practice of nursing under Title 58, Chapter 31b, Nurse Practice Act or under Title 58, Chapter 44a, Nurse Midwife Practice Act; and
      2. (ii) has a shortage of nurse educator faculty.

3. (3) "Clinical-related administrative, management, or other activities" means:

   1. (i) administrative care coordination activities;

      1. (ii) charting;
      2. (iii) training, laboratory follow-up, patient correspondence, attending staff meetings, activities related to maintaining professional licensure, and other non-treatment related activities pertaining to the participant's approved practice; or
      3. (iv) any time spent in a management role.
4. (4) "Dental hygiene" means the science and practice of recognition, prevention, and treatment of oral diseases and conditions as an integral component of total health.
5. (5) "Department" means the Department of Health and Human Services.
6. (6) "Educational expenses" means the cost of education in a health care profession, including books, education equipment, fees, materials, reasonable living expenses, supplies, and tuition.

7. (7) "Eligible bona fide loan" means a loan used to pay for educational expenses leading to a qualifying recipient's relevant professional degree, including:

   1. (a) a commercial loan made by a bank, credit institution, credit union, insurance company, savings and loan association, or school;
   2. (b) a governmental loan made by a federal, state, county, or city agency; and

   3. (c) a loan made by another person with documentation demonstrating:

      1. (i) a contract with notarization at the time of the making of the loan;
      2. (ii) an arm's length transaction; and
      3. (iii) that the loan offers a similarly competitive term and rate compared with other loans made available to students.
8. (8) "Employer contribution" means the funding contributed by the recipient's health care facility employer as part of the recipient's total assistance.
9. (9) "Forensic pathology" means a subspecialty of pathology which investigates non-natural or suspicious deaths, often referred to as reportable deaths.
10. (10) "Geriatric" means an individual 65 years old and older.
11. (11) "Geriatric professional" means the same as defined in Section 26B-4-702.
12. (12) "Grant" means an award of funds under a grant agreement.
13. (13) "Loan repayment grant" means a grant to pay educational loans in exchange for service for a specified period at an approved site.
14. (14) "Mental health professional" means a mental health therapist as defined in Subsection 58-60-102(15).
15. (15) "Nurse educator" means a nurse employed by a Utah school of nursing providing nursing education to individuals leading to licensure or certification as a nurse.
16. (16) "Postgraduate training" means an internship, practicum, preceptorship, or residency training required for licensure of a geriatric, health care, or mental health professional, and as required by this rule.
17. (17) "Program" means the Utah Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program.

18. (18) "Publicly funded" means any facility which:

    1. (a) is administered or run by a state, local, or municipal government agency;
    2. (b) is contracted with a government agency to provide services on behalf of the government agency; or
    3. (c) receives a substantial amount of state or federal funding.
19. (19) "Recipient" means an applicant selected to receive a loan repayment grant or scholarship grant under Section 26B-4-702.

20. (20)(a) "Scholarship grant" means a grant for educational expenses awarded to an individual who agrees to become a nurse educator in exchange for service for a specified period at an approved site.

    1. (b) The approved site for a scholarship grant recipient shall be a Utah nursing school or training institution.
21. (21) "Service obligation" means professional service provided at an approved site for a minimum of three years in exchange for a loan repayment grant or scholarship grant.
22. (22) "Total assistance" means the full amount of department-approved loan repayment assistance for a recipient, equal to the sum of the department's loan repayment grant and the employer's contribution.
23. (23) "Unrestricted license" means an active license not qualified or limited due to disciplinary action as defined in Subsection R156-1-102(26).

Terms used in this rule are defined in Section 26B-4-702. Additionally:

KEY: medically underserved, grants, scholarships, Utah Health Care Workforce Advisory Committee

Date of Last Change: July 1, 2025

Notice of Continuation: May 6, 2024

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 26B-1-202; 26B-4-702