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Did ama lobby to have nursing removed af a professional degree to get loans
Executive summary
The Department of Education’s recent move to exclude many nursing credentials from its working definition of “professional degree” is documented across nursing groups and mainstream outlets; nursing advocates warn this will cap graduate nursing borrowing at lower limits and reduce access to advanced training (examples: ANA statement, Nurse.com) [1] [2]. Available reporting shows widespread pushback from nursing organizations — but the documents and coverage do not say the American Medical Association (AMA) lobbied to have nursing removed; available sources do not mention the AMA pushing for that outcome [3] [1].
1. What changed and who is objecting: a quick take
Federal proposals tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reinterpret the regulatory definition of “professional degree,” and the Department of Education’s draft or rulemaking guidance would omit many nursing graduate programs (MSN, DNP) from that category; nursing organizations including the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and state nursing groups have publicly criticized the move as jeopardizing access to loans and the nursing pipeline [2] [1] [4].
2. Why “professional degree” status matters for loans
Under the new framework and linked legislation, professional-degree programs had higher annual and lifetime federal loan limits and access to Grad PLUS-style borrowing; excluding nursing would generally reclassify many nursing students into lower graduate loan caps (e.g., $20,500 annual undergraduate-like limits or lower graduate caps cited in coverage) and end Grad PLUS availability, reducing typical borrowing options for advanced nursing students [2] [5].
3. How nursing groups frame the consequences
The ANA says excluding nursing “jeopardizes efforts to strengthen and expand the U.S. nursing workforce” and urges the Department to revise the definition to explicitly include nursing pathways; AACN and regional nursing associations echo concerns that loan limits will make graduate education harder to afford and shrink the pipeline for nurse practitioners, faculty and leaders [1] [4] [6].
4. What the Department of Education says in response
The Department framed the reinterpretation as aligning with a longstanding regulatory definition and as a way to place “commonsense limits and guardrails” on borrowing that contribute to the federal loan portfolio size; agency spokespeople and documents describe the change as interpretation, not a new list invented from scratch [7] [8].
5. Is there evidence the AMA lobbied to remove nursing status?
Available reporting and the assembled documents detail nursing organizations’ protests and the Department’s rationale, but none of the provided sources assert that the American Medical Association actively lobbied to remove nursing from the professional-degree list. InfluenceWatch and other background pieces note the AMA has advocated historically against expanded scopes of practice for non-physician clinicians, but the current coverage does not link AMA lobbying to this specific Department rulemaking or claim the AMA sought nursing’s exclusion [3] [9]. Therefore, available sources do not mention the AMA pushing for nursing’s removal from the professional-degree classification in this rulemaking.
6. Competing interpretations and political context
Some policy analysts and higher-education observers — for example, those referenced around AEI or in news coverage — argue the new caps are affordable and appropriate to constrain unfettered borrowing and protect taxpayers; nursing advocates counter that constrained financing undermines workforce development and patient care access, especially in underserved areas. The Department emphasizes regulatory precedent while nursing groups emphasize workforce impact [10] [1].
7. What to watch next (procedural and practical steps)
The rulemaking process includes stakeholder comment periods and finalization timelines; the Department expected to publish final rules by spring 2026 in some reporting, and nursing organizations are urging public comments, petitions, and direct engagement to have nursing explicitly reinstated as a professional degree under the loan rules [8] [6]. Monitor ANA, AACN, and Department releases and the official Federal Register docket for submissions and any attribution of external lobbying.
Limitations and bottom line: the sources consistently document the Department’s reclassification and robust nursing opposition and explain the likely loan impacts [2] [1], but they do not provide evidence in the materials you gave that the AMA lobbied to remove nursing status; available sources do not mention that specific claim [9].