A suggestion if you plan on taking a year off

[ColumbiaMPH]

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I just talked to the financial aid officer at my undergrad, and he told me something interesting. If you have a Perkins Loan, you can cancel it out (and defer payment) if you are a full-time licensed med tech or phlebotomist. A percentage of your loan gets waived each year (15, 15, 20, 20, 30--completely eliminated after 5 years). I'm a phlebotomist/HIV Counselor, and it's a great way to get more clinical exposure and direct patient contact. I just wanted to offer it as a suggestion to anyone who was unsure what to do during a year (or more) off.

 

[birdie]

Why is this limited to being a phlebotomist/med tech?

 

[shpate]

You could also work at the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and they will defer your loans for the 1 year you work there. Even if you decide to leave before your 1 year term is up, all your loans will still be deffered.

 

[CRAZYTERP]

I am spending my year off working through the Americorps Program. It's an awesome experience and you can pretty much work anywhere in the US doing almost anything. The pay sucks but its great for a year AND they do defer loans and give you a scholarship for continuing ed at the end of the year.

 

[streetdoc]

I second birdie....why is this benefit limited to med techs/ phleb??? That seems outright wrong since med techs make more per hour than i do as a paramedic. not to mention they work within the controlled environment of a hospital while i have my late-with-loan-payment butt out in the cold, snowy roads....
sorry, long day at work, but i still think it's worong.
streetdoc

 

[wyo]

Originally posted by CRAZYTERP
I am spending my year off working through the Americorps Program. It's an awesome experience and you can pretty much work anywhere in the US doing almost anything. The pay sucks but its great for a year AND they do defer loans and give you a scholarship for continuing ed at the end of the year.

CRAZYTERP, where are you doing Americorps at? I'm doing it as well, in Montana.