Exclusion of nurses from “professional degrees” threatens future of profession – thelamp.com.au

Analysis of US Student Loan Policy Changes and Their Impact on Sustainable Development Goals

A policy initiative by the Trump Administration, under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), will reclassify nursing by excluding it from the list of “professional degrees.” This report analyzes the implications of this policy, effective 1 July 2026, on the United States’ progress toward several key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Direct Conflict with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The policy’s primary consequence is the creation of significant financial barriers for aspiring nurses, which is projected to exacerbate a critical shortage of healthcare professionals. This directly threatens the achievement of SDG 3 by undermining the healthcare system’s capacity.

• Reduced access to graduate-level nursing education will limit the supply of advanced practice nurses, who are essential for delivering primary care, especially in areas with physician shortages.
• American Nurses Association President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy stated that limiting educational funding for nurses “threatens the very foundation of patient care.”
• Professor Olga Yakusheva of Johns Hopkins University predicts the policy will lead to “longer wait times, less time with providers, and heavier workloads for physicians,” compromising the quality and accessibility of healthcare services for all.

Undermining SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

The reclassification of nursing creates inequitable access to higher education and disproportionately affects a female-dominated profession, thereby impeding progress on SDG 4 and SDG 5.

1. Educational Inequality: By capping loans for nursing students at a lower level ($20,500 annually) compared to fields like dentistry and pharmacy, the policy establishes a significant financial barrier to entry and advancement. This contradicts the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG 4).
2. Gender Disparity: As nursing is a profession predominantly composed of women, these financial limitations represent a systemic barrier that can hinder their economic empowerment and professional growth, running counter to the objectives of achieving gender equality (SDG 5).

Negative Implications for SDG 8 (Decent Work) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

The policy is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the healthcare labor market and will likely widen existing health disparities, impacting SDG 8 and SDG 10.

• Workforce Instability (SDG 8): Professor Patricia Pittman of George Washington University described the loan cap as a “major barrier to continued education” at a time when retaining licensed nurses is critical. This threatens the stability of the healthcare workforce and the promotion of decent work.
• Exacerbated Health Disparities (SDG 10): A decline in the number of nurses, particularly those with advanced training, will disproportionately affect underserved and rural communities. This will worsen existing inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes, directly opposing the goal of reducing inequality within and among countries.

Official Response and Implementation

The administration has defended its position against widespread criticism from the healthcare community. Ellen Keast, the Press Secretary for Higher Education, dismissed the backlash as “fake news,” asserting that the definition of a professional degree aligns with historical precedent.

Despite this defense, the policy is scheduled for implementation on 1 July 2026, raising significant concerns among healthcare and education professionals regarding its long-term, negative impact on national health and sustainable development objectives.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues that are directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary SDGs addressed are:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s central theme is the potential impact of policy changes on the healthcare sector, specifically the nursing workforce. It warns of a “historic nurse shortage” and the negative consequences for “patient care” and “primary care,” which are core components of SDG 3.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The policy directly targets the financing of higher education for nursing students. By reducing loan limits and excluding nursing from “professional degrees,” the policy raises significant concerns about “accessibility of the profession” and creates a “major barrier to continued education,” which relates directly to ensuring access to affordable tertiary education.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The policy creates a clear inequality between nursing and other professions like “pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and chiropractic,” which “will continue to receive higher levels of funding.” This differentiation in financial support for education based on profession is a form of inequality that SDG 10 aims to reduce.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 3.c (under SDG 3): “Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce…”
   • Explanation: The article directly contradicts this target. Instead of increasing financing and recruitment for the health workforce, the new policy is described as a “gut punch for nursing” that will limit access to funding and is expected to cause a “significant decline in nursing numbers.” This directly undermines efforts to recruit, train, and retain healthcare professionals.
2. Target 4.3 (under SDG 4): “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.”
   • Explanation: The article details how the new student loan caps will make graduate nursing education less affordable and accessible. The policy change will “exclude nursing from the list of ‘professional degrees’,” leading to “significantly reduced loan limits.” This creates a financial barrier that hinders equal access to tertiary education for aspiring nurses.
3. Target 10.3 (under SDG 10): “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices…”
   • Explanation: The policy can be seen as a discriminatory practice against the nursing profession. By creating a different, less favorable funding structure for nursing students compared to those in other health-related fields, the policy does not ensure equal opportunity. It establishes an inequality of outcome by making it harder for one group to pursue advanced education and career progression.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official SDG indicators, but it implies several metrics that could be used to measure the impact of the policy and track progress (or regression) towards the identified targets:

• Indicator for Target 3.c: Health workforce density and distribution.
  • Implication in Article: The article implies this indicator by repeatedly warning of a “historic nurse shortage” and a predicted “significant decline in nursing numbers.” Tracking the number of practicing nurses and those in training would be a direct way to measure the policy’s impact on the health workforce.
• Indicator for Target 4.3: Student enrollment rates in tertiary education and availability of student financial aid.
  • Implication in Article: The article states the policy is “expected to affect hundreds of thousands of students,” suggesting that a key indicator would be the change in nursing school enrollment numbers after the policy takes effect. Furthermore, the specific loan limits mentioned (“$20,500 annually, with a lifetime cap of $100,000”) serve as a direct quantitative indicator of the reduction in financial aid available to these students.
• Indicator for Target 10.3: Policies and regulations that guarantee non-discrimination.
  • Implication in Article: The policy itself, the “One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB),” serves as an indicator. Its existence and specific provisions that differentiate between nursing and other “professional degrees” can be analyzed as a policy that promotes, rather than reduces, inequality of opportunity in education.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thelamp.com.au