Oklahoma is leading the way in preparing the next generation of health care workers.

Through the state’s CareerTech system, high school students are earning nursing assistant certifications, gaining hands-on clinical experience, and entering the workforce — all without student debt. These programs are filling critical gaps in long-term care, home health, and hospitals across the state. They give students a chance at a career, and they give communities the care they desperately need.

But the progress Oklahoma is making is now under threat.

The Trump administration is moving to exclude advanced nursing degrees from the definition of “professional degrees” under new student loan rules. This change would cap federal student loans far below the actual cost of graduate nursing education — making it much harder for students in Oklahoma to become nurse practitioners, midwives, or anesthetists.

That means fewer nurses. More burnout. Longer wait times. And less access to care, especially in rural and underserved parts of the state.

We are calling on Governor Kevin Stitt, the Oklahoma Legislature, and our Congressional delegation to:

• Publicly oppose the exclusion of nursing from federal professional degree status
• Urge the U.S. Department of Education to revise the proposed loan cap rules
• Protect CareerTech students by supporting clear pathways from certification to advanced degrees

Oklahoma is investing in its nursing workforce, but without action at the federal level, many students will be blocked from advancing their careers. We cannot afford to lose the momentum we’ve built.

Sign this petition if you believe Oklahoma students deserve full access to nursing education — from high school to advanced practice — without being buried in private loans.

Photo: Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice