College of Medicine, Penn State Health launch loan forgiveness opportunity for future family medicine physicians
$4.5M commitment from health system creates debt-free pathway to medical degree
Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health have partnered to make a career in family medicine more accessible to medical students through a new loan forgiveness program.
The Family and Community Medicine Loan Forgiveness Program, known as the 3+3+5 program, will support five students per year as they move through medical school to residency and ultimately into practice with Penn State Health.
The program provides tuition and stipend support totaling $100,000 per year for three years while students complete the College’s Family Medicine Accelerated Pathway (FM-APPS). After medical school, graduates pursue three years of family medicine residency training at a Penn State Health residency program in Hershey, Reading or University Park. They then commit to practicing with Penn State Health for five years after residency.
“Penn State College of Medicine launched the three-year accelerated program to address rising student debt and shortage of physicians. Over the past decade, the program has been successful in training excellent physicians while reducing educational time and financial burden,” said Shou Ling Leong, MD, professor of family and community medicine and assistant dean for pathways innovation. “The 3+3+5 loan forgiveness program is a fantastic new opportunity for students to obtain their medical degree debt-free and enjoy the reduced stress of not having to relocate for their residency, followed by a smooth transition to employment at Penn State Health. This program also offers a special opportunity for students from under-resourced backgrounds seeking a career in primary care.”
Through FM-APPS, students complete medical school in three years instead of the traditional four-year timeline. Along the way, they build relationships with patients, faculty mentors and clinical teams as they learn and gain experience in family medicine.
The new 3+3+5 program adds financial support to the existing FM-APPS direct pathway from medical school through residency and into a career with Penn State Health.
The 3+3+5 program comes at a time when Pennsylvania is facing a critical need for more primary care physicians. Two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s primary care physicians practice in the five most populated counties, and 30 percent of the physicians who do practice in rural counties say they plan to leave their position in under five years, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.
By financially supporting students interested in family medicine and helping them transition from medical school to residency and practice, the program aims to help address that gap.
“As a medical school, we have a responsibility to prepare the next generation of physicians to meet the needs of the communities they will serve,” said Karen Kim, MD, MS, dean of the College of Medicine. “This partnership opens doors for students who are passionate about family medicine while helping ensure Pennsylvania has the primary care physicians it needs. By working together across our integrated academic health system, we can make this career path more accessible and contribute to healthier communities.”
Penn State Health’s investment in the program reflects its longstanding commitment to growing the primary care workforce and creating a pipeline of physicians prepared to care for patients across the communities it serves.
Prospective students interested in the Family Medicine Accelerated Pathway can find information about the curriculum, application process and program requirements here.
Students who would like to learn more about the loan forgiveness opportunity can email FMAPPS@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.