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Title 25 — IndiansRelease 119-73

§1616k Nursing residency program

Title 25 › Chapter CHAPTER 18— - INDIAN HEALTH CARE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - INDIAN HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL › § 1616k

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must create a program, run by the Service, that lets licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and registered nurses who have worked at least one year in an Indian health program get advanced training. The program mixes classroom study and on‑the‑job training at an Indian health program and can lead to an associate or bachelor’s degree for LPNs/LVNs or a bachelor’s or Master’s degree for RNs. If the Service pays the tuition, the nurse must work in an Indian health program for at least three times the length of the training; if they don’t, the United States can recover money using the formula in subsection (l) of section 1616a.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §1616k

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary, acting through the Service, shall establish a program to enable licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and registered nurses who are working in an Indian health program (as defined in section 1616a(a)(2)(A) of this title), and have done so for a period of not less than one year, to pursue advanced training.
(b)Such program shall include a combination of education and work study in an Indian health program (as defined in section 1616a(a)(2)(A) of this title) leading to an associate or bachelor’s degree (in the case of a licensed practical nurse or licensed vocational nurse) or a bachelor’s degree (in the case of a registered nurse) or a Master’s degree.
(c)An individual who participates in a program under subsection (a), where the educational costs are paid by the Service, shall incur an obligation to serve in an Indian health program for a period of obligated service equal to at least three times the period of time during which the individual participates in such program. In the event that the individual fails to complete such obligated service, the United States shall be entitled to recover from such individual an amount determined in accordance with the formula specified in subsection (l) of section 1616a of this title in the manner provided for in such subsection.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–435 inserted before period at end “or a Master’s degree”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 1616k

Title 25 — Indians

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73