SALT LAKE CITY — The Trump administration’s move to no longer classify nursing as a professional degree has sparked concern for many in Utah who wonder what the change means for student loans and how they’ll be limited for future nurses.

Becoming a nurse isn’t easy, but for University of Utah Doctor of Nursing Practice graduate student Laura Linton, it’s a passion.

“I actually started out 20-something years ago as a nurse in labor and delivery, and I loved it,” Linton said Monday.

Now a graduate student, Linton went back to school to help make a difference in the nursing field. When she read that nursing would stop being considered a professional degree, her initial reaction was one of hurt.

“A stab in the heart,” she admitted. “I feel like for someone who loves the field, and I have other people medical in my family, I think nursing is a very caring profession.”

According to the Department of Education, borrowing will be capped for graduate programs and professional degrees come July 2026. The new change will eliminate the Grad Plus Loan program and limit federal graduate student loans to $20,500 per year, with a total cap of $100,000.

The department claimed that loan limits will drive down the cost of graduate programs and that most students borrow below the annual limit, and said it would not have an impact on undergraduate programs.

Washington City father, daughter make helping Utah’s nursing shortage a family affair:

Washington City dad, daughter make helping nursing shortage a family affair

Dr. Melissa Hinton with the Association of Utah Nurse Practitioners believes the new limits could hurt the workforce.

“At this point, nurse practitioner school is close to $100,000. A nurse is usually over $50,000. Those numbers being so concrete, just completely says that nurses aren’t important,” said Hinton.

When it comes to affordability, Rieneke Holman, Associate Dean of Nursing at Weber State University, says the price of their nursing programs is within those proposed limits.

“We need people to go on and become nurse practitioners or nurse educators,” Holman said. “There’s so many different things in addition to bedside nursing that’s so important. All of those pieces are really important.”

For current students like Linton, she continues to work hard towards her degree.

“I think that nursing has worked hard to get the respect that it has,” she said. “I think that that’s kind of pulling away from that. That’s kind of a challenge for a lot of people.”

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Relieved loved ones of Danielle Staley—the Holladay woman found safe after being missing for two weeks—hurried to reunite with her Sunday evening, as her stepfather deferred questions on circumstances surrounding her mysterious disappearance.

“We barely got to California,” said Slade Holtry. “We need to talk together to discover what happened.”

A release from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office announced Staley had been located and was uninjured, but did not release details.

“We just want to hang out as a family and rejoice,” Holtry said. “We’re so relieved. I’m going to eat my first real meal in two weeks.”

In early November, Staley vanished, and her belongings, including a purse and backpack, were left on a California beach about 40 miles south of San Jose.

She was last seen near the location, and soon after her disappearance, investigators did not rule out foul play.

Family members reportedly had concerns about her boyfriend, describing him as abusive and manipulative.

Her stepfather said the boyfriend was not with Staley Sunday evening, and Holtry praised news coverage of the case.

“That’s the only way we found her,” he said. “Somebody saw the news and told her she was all over the news, and she contacted the sheriff’s department. Thank you to all the media.”

Statement from Danielle’s family:

“At this time, we are not releasing specific details as we focus on Danielle’s well-being. Our family asks that there is a continued focus on domestic violence victims, and that people bear in mind the sensitivity of circumstances like my sister’s.

Thank you to the Aptos community for the incredible outpouring of support, for sharing her information, and for coming together to help bring awareness to her case.

Thank you to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for their unyielding dedication to finding my sister safe, and for their tireless search for Jeanne Burke, as well as other missing persons.

I also want to show gratitude to the Missing in America Network, and Jaz in particular for her advocacy at any time of the day or night, aiding our family through this hard time and giving us much needed direction.

Additionally, I’d like to highlight that November is Native American Heritage Month, and support for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women is very much needed.

The entire family is forever grateful for the kindness and unity shown during this difficult time. Community is everything.”

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