Career Resources

California's own loan repayment program provides up to $50,000 for health professionals who commit to serving in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or at FQHCs for 2 or 4 years. Administered by the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI).

Up to $300,000 in loan repayment for physicians who commit to 5 years of service to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. One of the largest loan repayment programs in the country, specifically designed for doctors serving California's safety-net patients.

Free 3-session introductory training series for Community Health Workers covering care navigation, holistic care, and advance care planning. Available online and in-person across 4 California regions. Includes up to $2,750 in incentives plus personal coaching.

Free workforce development training program for Community Health Workers in the Los Angeles area. Offers both in-person training and an online CHW training option. Focused on practical skills for community-based health work.

Free California-specific training on screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and providing trauma-informed care. Funded by the state of California. Completion qualifies Medi-Cal providers for ACE screening reimbursement ($29 per screening).

National Association of Community Health Centers offers leadership exchanges, supervision e-learning, coding webinar series, and billing/collections communities of practice. The 2026 Leadership Exchange runs April–September. Calm in Crisis de-escalation training available March 2026.

HRSA-funded training center providing free technical assistance and workforce development resources for public health professionals in California. Part of the Western Region consortium covering CA, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and Pacific Islands.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers free online training in behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, trauma-informed care, and crisis intervention. Self-paced courses available to all healthcare workers.

National Union of Healthcare Workers provides $2,000 every three years for professional supplies, books, training materials, and continuing education. Additional in-person and online trainings in healthcare reform, communication strategies, and union steward development.

California's Employment Training Panel funds employer-customized training for workers in key industries including nursing and allied healthcare. Pay-for-performance contracts — training is free to the employee. FQHCs, community health centers, and rural hospitals are eligible employers.

CalWORKs covers the cost of approved education and training programs that lead to specific jobs, including healthcare careers. Services include work study, job placement, childcare assistance, skills training, and curriculum development. Contact your local county welfare department to enroll.

Free training resources for CalAIM Enhanced Care Management (ECM) Lead Care Managers and care coordination staff. Provided through managed care plans and regional alliances (Central California Alliance, HPSM, Health Net, Molina). Covers ECM workflows, documentation requirements, and care team coordination.

A beginner online course on how EHR and practice-management systems work, including health data structure, insurance claims, and HIPAA/HITECH compliance. Free to audit (view all materials without a certificate).

An online, self-paced course in EHR data integrity, health information privacy, informatics, and Epic reporting tools, built specifically around the needs of FQHCs. Unlike most Epic training, this OCHIN+ program is open-enrollment to anyone (not just OCHIN member-org staff).

Official eClinicalWorks user training — Knowledge Base articles, guides, and live webinars — via the my.eClinicalWorks customer portal. eCW is one of the most common FQHC EHRs, but this training is gated: you access it as staff of an organization that uses eCW.

NextGen's role-based EHR training, training simulations, webinars, and optional NextGen Certified Professional (NCP) exams, via the client Success Community. NextGen is a major FQHC EHR, but this training is for staff of existing NextGen client organizations.

The official studentaid.gov tool that checks whether your FQHC counts as a qualifying employer, generates your PSLF form, and lets your HR 'authorized official' sign it electronically. Submit (and re-certify) once a year to keep an accurate count of your qualifying payments — don't wait until payment 120.

IDR plans set your federal loan payment as a share of your income — often making payments affordable on a community-health salary — and each on-time IDR payment can count toward PSLF. Important 2026 update: the SAVE plan was ended by a court order (March 10, 2026), so do NOT rely on SAVE; Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is the durable plan that remains, and a new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) launched July 1, 2026.

A federal program that pays off a large share of a nurse's qualifying education debt in exchange for full-time service at a Critical Shortage Facility — a category many FQHCs fall into. Pays 60% of unpaid nursing-school loans over two years, with an optional third year adding another 25% (up to 85% total).

The official studentaid.gov calculator that compares your federal loan repayment options side by side — estimated monthly payment, total cost, payoff date — and flags which plans work with PSLF. The fastest way to see what an income-driven plan would actually cost you on an FQHC salary.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling is the largest nonprofit financial-counseling network in the U.S. Its certified counselors review your full financial picture and walk you through your federal repayment and forgiveness options one-on-one — a trustworthy, no-sales-pitch alternative to for-profit 'debt relief' companies.