Nurses Furious Over Degree Classification Change: ‘Insult...

By Jasmine Laws

US News Reporter

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Nurses have been outraged by the Department of Education's classification of nursing as not a "professional degree," which means they will not receive the same financial support for their training and studies as those in other medical professions.

The changes are part of the Department of Education's implementation of new measures under the Trump administration's 'One Big Beautiful Bill.'

Jenn Plescia, a board-certified nurse practitioner who set up 'IVs by the Seas', an intravenous hydration and aesthetics business in New Jersey, told Newsweek that to suggest nursing "doesn’t constitute a 'professional' degree is insulting and dismissive of the work that keeps the healthcare system functioning."

Why It Matters

Under the new changes, annual loans for new borrowers will be capped at $20,500 for graduate students and $50,000 for professional students, meaning that whether a degree has 'professional' status now has a notable impact on how much students receive.

The department determined that the following health care programs were professional: medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, law, veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, theology and clinical psychology—which excludes nursing.

The decision impacts hundreds of thousands of students enrolled in various nursing degrees, and many have warned that it would lead to a drop in the number of nurses in the country, harming health care services nationwide.

Nurses and a doctor wheel a patient through a hospital corridor.

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What To Know

Plescia told Newsweek that the Department of Education’s decision to classify nursing as not a "professional" degree is "not only incorrect—it’s ridiculous and dangerously out of touch with the realities of modern healthcare."

She said that nursing is "one of the most academically rigorous, clinically demanding, and high-stakes professions in the country."

She added that nurses are responsible for "life-and-death decision-making, complex clinical judgment, pharmacologic management, procedural skills, and the coordination of care across entire healthcare teams."

Plescia said that she was concerned about the "ripple effect" the Department of Education's classification could have nationwide on patient care.

"By downgrading the status of nursing education, the Department of Education is sending a message that advanced nursing education is not worth the investment—yet simultaneously doing nothing to reduce the actual cost of that education," she said.

She said that this will also "directly impact access to care and increase the existing nursing shortage," as registered nurses will be less likely to pursue a master's or doctorate in nursing if doing so will "saddle them with enormous debt without recognition or compensation as professionals."

This would mean "fewer providers, longer wait times, reduced access, and increased pressure on an already overloaded healthcare system," she said.

In a landscape with an already worsening nursing and provider shortage, Plescia said that a decision like this will only "widen that gap."

Analysis previously forecasted that there would be a shortage of 63,720 full-time registered nurses in 2030, according to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing fact sheet, citing 2022 Health Resources and Services Administration data.

The association warned that nursing school enrollment is not "growing fast enough to meet the projected demand" in services.

"Instead of devaluing nursing, we should be doing everything possible to support and elevate the profession—because the entire healthcare system, and every patient within it, depends on nurses stepping into these advanced roles," Plescia said.

Ida Adesina, who was a working nurse for seven years, a former American Heart Association instructor for over 10 years, and is an accredited Nursing Continuing Education (CEU) Provider, told Newsweek that while "I do not agree with the Department of Education’s decision to rule nursing as not a professional degree, I do understand the logic behind it."

She cited the Department of Education's report stating that 95 percent of nursing students borrow below the annual loan limit, which the department said would mean they will not be "affected by the new caps."

"The hope is that graduate programs will be forced to reduce the cost of their programs," she said, adding that she thought graduate programs are "significantly overpriced" and something needed to be done about the "rising cost of tuition."

However, she said, "This is not the way."

"This decision sends a terrible message to nurses who are upholding a professional standard of care while risking their lives every day," she said.

She added that it was "irresponsible" to call nurses "'heroes' one year and then 'unprofessional' the next. It devalues and undermines the role of a nurse, and it feels like a slap in the face for all that we do."

The nurses' concern is widely felt across the country, as more than 200,000 nurses and patients have signed a petition started by the American Nurses Association calling on the Department of Education to modify the policy before issuing the proposed rule.

Department of Education press secretary for higher education Ellen Keast previously told Newsweek: "The Department has had a consistent definition of what constitutes a professional degree for decades and the consensus-based language aligns with this historical precedent."

"The committee, which included institutions of higher education, agreed on the definition that we will put forward in a proposed rule. We’re not surprised that some institutions are crying wolf over regulations that never existed because their unlimited tuition ride on the taxpayer dime is over."