Geriatric Loan Forgiveness Program accepting applications until April 30

The application deadline for the Geriatric Loan Forgiveness Program is fast approaching.

The program, which incentivizes physicians in the fields of geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry to practice medicine in South Carolina by helping to repay their medical school debt, is only open to physicians who have completed fellowships or are in the process of completing fellowships in geriatrics or geriatric psychiatry. Successful applicants must meet certain criteria. The application deadline is April 30, 2024, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department on Aging.

In exchange for a commitment to practice geriatric medicine in South Carolina for at least five years, eligible doctors can compete to receive a $35,000 grant to help repay their medical school debt. Physicians who practice geriatrics may have medical school debt above $250,000.

"South Carolina's senior population is growing exponentially, and we do not have enough geriatricians to meet this influx of seniors," South Carolina Department on Aging Director Connie Munn said in the release. "The Geriatric Loan Program was created to bring some of our nation's most elite practitioners of geriatrics to South Carolina by offering to repay a portion of their medical school debt. Our seniors deserve the best."

The Geriatric Loan Forgiveness Program, the first of its kind in the nation, has awarded more than 28 physicians more than $840,000 to repay their medical school debt since it began in 2005.

For more information about the Geriatric Loan Forgiveness Program, contact Aging PSA Help at psahelp@aging.sc.gov.