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© Photos courtesy of Kevin White/Missouri State University Composite image of Drs. Amber Abernathy and Stephen Berkwitz of Missouri State University.

While religion and psychology may seem like a strange combination at first glance, Missouri State University is offering undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a certificate in mental health and spirituality.

The program came about after the school saw success in its other interdisciplinary certificate, medical humanities, which looks at cultural and personal engagement with illness and health.

Around the same time, a class about the psychology of religion gained popularity with students all across the campus, especially those in health and human services.

At the start of the course, Dr. Amber Abernathy asks students why they're taking it. Over and over, she heard: "I'm taking this because I want to understand this to help people."

When you think about it, it makes sense: Psychology studies the mind and human behavior, and religion and spirituality can shape a person's world-view, their sense of purpose and how they live their life. 

"(Religious and spiritual) belief is going to be related to your emotions, your meaning of life, and your coping and your health and your parenting — all of this is related, and it overlaps in almost any area where you’re working with someone else," Abernathy said.

More: September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. 'We can all do more,' says advocate.

Abernathy mentioned a 2003 study, which found that two-thirds of patients feel it is important for their physicians to understand their beliefs, but only about a third of physicians ask about beliefs. Another study found that 75% of the people surveyed felt a good therapist should be sensitive to their beliefs.

"People want the psychologist, the psychotherapist, the counselor to know where they’re coming from, and it’s just not getting asked," Abernathy said.

Abernathy, a professor of psychology, leads the mental health and spirituality certificate program along with Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, professor of religious studies.

The courses offer a wide view of spirituality.

"Our department is specifically designed to cover as wide a range of different traditions as possible, some of which aren’t well-organized," Berkwitz said. "There is content and courses that look at individualized spirituality, that rejection of organized religion. It’s certainly not limited to just Christianity."

The certificate's development was part of a conscious effort to ensure course offerings were in-tune with what students wanted.

"It’s up to us to look and see where (interest) is going, and to figure out ways to make the study of religion still relevant to people’s lives, and this is one way we do that," Berkwitz said.

More: Diabetes, substance use and mental health top list of Springfield's health priorities

"I’ve had more psychology grad students looking at tying psychology and spirituality into their research because they’re finding it," Abernathy said. "We’ve had a couple discussions; I had one I talked about the other day about religious upbringing and how that might relate to (development), so I think just going forward, this is where people are looking at more holistic aspects (of psychology)."

The program requires students take 15 credit hours, or five courses, of certain classes in the psychology and religious studies departments. Non-degree seeking students are also welcome to complete the certificate, Abernathy said.

"I would be thrilled if people who are already working came back and said it would be beneficial for my career, because it is possible for adult learners to do the certificate as sort of standalone program alongside their practice or work," Berkwitz said.

The program doesn't just benefit those in psychology.

"We always get asked, ‘What does this benefit?’ There’s a wonderful list, but my answer is always, ‘Anywhere where you’re working with somebody else,’ because everybody is going to have a level of spirituality and religiosity." Abernathy said. "They’re going to have a belief one way or another, so to understand that and to understand what that entails in their life is huge.” 

Ultimately, Abernathy hopes to expand the program to graduate students, as well.

But right now, the undergraduate certificate is just the first step.

"It’d be great to see a vibrant program with lots of students, some people from the community that are taking these courses and completing the certificate," Berkwitz said. "Maybe it’s a way for Missouri State to kind of show that we are preparing students for real-life situations and jobs, and will help them both personally and professionally as they go forward."

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: New MSU certificate helps students better understand link between mental health, beliefs

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A career in healthcare is lucrative and fulfilling, but the cost of getting the education needed to practice in your chosen field can be steep. About 73% of medical students graduate with debt, and the average debt balance in 2019 was $200,000, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

If you’re a medical professional trying to chip away at high loan balances, loan forgiveness and repayment programs could help you pay off your debt faster.

Here’s how student loan forgiveness and loan repayment programs work, as well as some loan forgiveness alternatives. 

Refinancing your medical school debt is also an option. Visit Credible to learn more about student loan refinancing and compare rates from multiple private student loan lenders.

What is medical school loan forgiveness?

Medical school loan forgiveness and loan repayment programs forgive or repay some of or all your debt balances when you meet certain requirements. Qualifying for forgiveness or debt repayment can get you out of debt faster, which can help you work toward other financial goals. In many cases, loan balances forgiven are also not taxable.

How to qualify for medical school student loan forgiveness

Eligibility requirements for loan forgiveness and repayment programs vary, but you usually have to work in a certain field or type of healthcare facility to qualify. For federal loan forgiveness programs, you need to verify your employment and make a certain number of payments before loans are forgiven. 

For other loan repayment programs, you must apply for the program and commit to working at a designated site before funds are awarded to pay off your balance. Eligible working sites may include nonprofit facilities, facilities that cater to low-income patients, or facilities in areas where there’s a shortage of medical professionals.

WHAT BIDEN’S LOAN FORGIVENESS REALLY MEANS FOR MANY STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS

Medical school loan forgiveness programs

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are potential student loan forgiveness and debt repayment program options for medical students: 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a popular program that forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you make 120 on-time loan payments under an income-driven repayment plan while working full-time for a not-for-profit or government agency. 

Usually, only payments on Direct Loans count toward PSLF. But until Oct. 21, 2022, past payments on Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program Loans and Perkins Loans also qualify as eligible payments toward PSLF after you consolidate those loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan. 

National Health Service Corp (NHSC) loan repayment programs

If you work for two years at an approved site, the National Health Service Corp (NHSC) loan repayment program offers up to $50,000 in loan repayment funding for full-time medical professionals and $25,000 for part-time medical professionals.

The following professionals are eligible for the program: 

• Physicians
• Nurse practitioners
• Physician assistants
• Certified nurse midwives
• Health service psychologists
• Licensed clinical social workers
• Psychiatric nurse practitioners
• Marriage and family therapists
• Licensed professional counselors

For people still in school, the NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program offers up to $120,000 in repayment funds if you commit to working for an NHSC-approved site full-time for three years.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Program

The National Institute of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Program offers up to $50,000 each year in loan repayment for professionals who commit to biomedical and biobehavioral research. To qualify, your eligible student loan balances must equal 20% or more of your base salary, and you must commit to doing research for an average of 20 hours per week for each quarterly service period.

WILL YOUR $10K-$20K OF STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS COME WITH A TAX HIT?

Military loan repayment programs

Branches of the military provide loan repayment programs that can pay back some of your college debt. For example, active-duty Army service members may qualify to get $1,500 or one-third of their student loans repaid each year (whichever is greater) for up to three years. The Air Force offers a similar student loan repayment opportunity to eligible officers. 

Certain military members may also qualify for the Health Professions Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP), which provides loan repayment of up to $40,000 per year. 

State-level student loan repayment programs

States may provide their own student loan repayment programs for medical professionals to ease the financial burden of medical debt and encourage professionals to enter the field. 

For example, California’s State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) offers up to $100,000 in repayment award funds to full-time medical professionals and up to $50,000 for part-time medical professionals who work at eligible sites. Eligible work sites could include nonprofit facilities and facilities that serve low-income patients.

Consider refinancing your medical school debt. You can easily compare prequalified rates from multiple lenders using Credible.

How to get medical school loans forgiven

BEST PLACES TO REFINANCE MEDICAL SCHOOL LOANS

Alternatives to student loan forgiveness

To get started on refinancing your student loans, visit Credible and compare prequalified rates from multiple lenders.

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Patna: In a bid to provide relief to the relatives of the deceased patients, Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) announced that death certificates will be issued to relatives of the patients immediately who died during treatment along with the patient's body. The service will start from October 20.

Earlier, family members of the deceased had to wait nearly six months to get a death certificate or had to appease the hospital staff to obtain the certificate of their kin. However, except in medico-legal cases, or those involving post-mortem examination, the relatives of the patients would get the certificate immediately. The direction to execute the service was given by Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

Patna Medical College, Patna was established as Temple Medical School in 1874 with the admission of 30 students with fees of Rs. 2/- only per student for the whole course. It is considered one of the oldest institutions in the state and records an average of 15 deaths of patients every day.

Also read- Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav Pays Surprise Visit To PMCH, Assures Action Against Defaulters

While speaking with HT, Medical Superintendent Dr IS Thakur said, "Issuing death certificate used to take up to six months earlier. There were even allegations that middlemen, in connivance with some of our staff, used to demand illegal gratification from the relatives of the deceased to issue death certificate."

"I issued orders on Monday and all heads of departments have been told to ensure that death certificate is issued expeditiously to relatives of the deceased patient along with the body. Our deputy chief minister, during his surprise inspection of the hospital on September 6, had issued instructions that relatives of patients who die be given death certificate from the hospital the same day," said Dr Thakur.

"Our patient mortality rate could have been better if patients came to us early for treatment, and not referred from private health centres at the end stage. Most patients come to our hospital when they are either terminally ill or have run out of finances after incurring a hefty amount of money on treatment at private centres," he added.

The superintendent said he had also issued a similar instruction to his officials around a fortnight back to issue birth certificates of children born at the hospital promptly.

Also read- Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) Soon To Be Connected With Metro, Says DMRC