The Crucial Role of Loan Accessibility in Advancing HIV Care.

Nurse Practitioners have been instrumental in HIV care, driving prevention, treatment, and policy advances. Persons living with HIV now live longer and receive better care, largely due to APRNs who undertake advanced training despite high graduate loan burdens. Federal ambiguity about whether graduate nursing qualifies as a professional degree threatens access to critical loan limits, risking affordability of MSN/DNP programs and constraining the future APRN workforce. This would worsen inequities affecting communities most impacted by HIV and undermine national Ending the HIV Epidemic goals. Securing clear federal recognition and investment in APRN education is essential to sustain clinical capacity, leadership, and equitable HIV care.