ELIZABETHTOWN, Hardin County — The Kentucky Nurses Association criticized President Donald Trump's Department of Education after the agency removed nursing from its list of professional degrees , capping federal loan amounts at $100,000 with the goal of reducing graduate tuition costs.

Nursing groups say the new limits on loans could discourage people from entering the field at a time when Kentucky faces a significant shortage.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing projects 2,300 nurse practitioner positions will need to be filled over the next five years in the state.

Rural communities could face care gaps

Trevor McGuffin, a recent nurse practitioner graduate from the University of Louisville, treats addiction at Total Wellness Center in Elizabethtown. He said federal loans were essential

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