Trump’s Big Ugly Bill Strips Nursing of Professional Status

The Trump administration has reclassified nursing and several other healthcare professions, removing their professional degree status under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which significantly reduces student borrowing limits for these fields. While students in medicine, law, and dentistry can borrow up to $50,000 annually with a $200,000 total cap, nursing students are now limited to $20,500 per year with a $100,000 maximum, amounts that fall far short of actual program costs. This policy change disproportionately impacts Black women, who comprise nearly 13 percent of healthcare workers and rely heavily on student loans, potentially blocking their pathway to advanced nursing roles.