World Prematurity Day was this week. Also this week? This administration’s U.S. Department of Education proposed a rule change that would deem nurses, health care providers, and early intervention providers as no longer professions.  The proposed rule drastically decreases the student aid a professional degree student may borrow yearly ($50,000) versus those pursuing graduate degrees ($20,500) under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBA) Act.

Let me be super duper clear here. There are angels who walk amongst us and those angels are nurses. Nurses took care of me when my body could not carry my son Andrew to full term. Nurses calculated, titrated, and administered medicine and medical treatments when my son could not breathe on his own. They expertly intubated his teeny tiny airway and performed infant CPR when my son’s brain forgot to breathe. They also fed and nourished his body so he grew and could come home after an 89 day NICU stay.

Also on the list of careers proposed to be re-classified, despite the fact that said careers require degrees, credentialing, and specialized licensing to practice said profession?

• Nurse Practioners.
• Physicians Assistants.
• Audiologists.
• Speech language pathologists.
• Physical Therapists.
• Occupational Therapists.
• Social Workers.
• Counselors
• Educators.

A hospital social worker helped me apply for Medicaid, as Andrew automatically qualified in Maryland since he was born weighing under 1200 grams.  She helped me fill out paperwork that would give me access to a hospital grade breast pump through my insurance, so his nurses might feed him breastmilk via tubes through his nose and mouth.  She also took time to explain the ins and outs of the early intervention program in our state, so that I knew how to seek developmental evaluation and monitoring for him.

Once Andrew stabilized medically and grew bigger, an occupational therapist evaluated his feeding and taught us how to feed our son so he did not choke, gag, or vomit. He had learned anything going into his mouth felt uncomfortable, after receiving lifesaving ventilator care and tubed feeding care.

An audiologist screened and evaluated my son’s hearing, expertly reading his brain waves to reassure me that he was hearing well and would require no follow-up.

Once home, a special educator and a team of early interventionists came to interview me, observe, test, and check my son’s progress with his developmental milestones.  As an extremely low birth weight preemie, Andrew was at risk for developmental delays.

A physical therapist evaluated his muscles and listened to me when I shared my concerns that his neck and back muscles were too tight. She taught me how to stretch his muscles, change activities to provide him challenge but not frustrate him too much while Andrew was working on turning his head, tolerating tummy time, sitting up, and crawling.

A speech language pathologist helped me, a speech therapist myself, learn how to feed Andrew when his fear of unpleasant experiences reared its head again with solid foods. She helped me sensitize his mouth so he would accept spoons, straws, cups, and NOURISHMENT. As I do not have a feeding specialization, her professional expertise and recommendations were INTEGRAL to helping my son catch up to his peers in physical growth. 

Something that all these professionals have in common? They are women. And hold professional degrees in female dominated fields.

Our nation faces a healthcare, allied healthcare, mental healthcare, and education workforce shortage.  We do not have enough physicians, nurses, audiologists, speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, counselors, or teachers.  We face a healthcare crisis, in which 10-12 million Americans will lose Medicaid by 2034 due to the OBBA.  If the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits expire 4 million Americans will go uninsured and 22 million will see their premiums increase by 114%.  And we faces a self-made crisis in which executive branch leadership is inexplicably destroying scientific institutions that lead in innovation (the NIH, CDC, the National Science Foundation, etc).

Again. There are angels and those aspiring to be angels who walk amongst us. They are the helpers, who minister to us in our hour of need, when we are at our most vulnerable. And these angels desperately need to be lifted up.

Actions to take:

1. Contact lawmakers: Urge your congressional representatives to support these vital workers’ professional degree status, to safeguard educational opportunities and access.  Legislators can be reached using the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121, or congress.gov/contact-us.
2. Submit public comments: When the Department of Education releases a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the definition of professional degrees, submit public comments supporting recognition of professional degree status. 
3. Share stories.  Communicate the ways in which these incredible professionals have positively impacted your or others’ lives.