As used in the Osteopathic Medical Student Loan for Service Act:

A. "department" means the higher education department;

B. "health professional shortage area" means an area in the state of New Mexico designated as having a shortage of primary care medical care, dental or mental health providers by the health resources and services administration of the United States department of health and human services;

C. "loan" means a grant of funds to defray the costs incidental to an osteopathic medical education, under a contract between the department and an osteopathic medical student, requiring either repayment with interest or repayment in services;

D. "osteopathic medical education" means the education required to be an osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician's assistant; and

E. "student" means a person enrolled in a school of osteopathic medicine or an osteopathic physician's assistant program in New Mexico.

History: 1978 Comp., § 21-22A-3, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 109, § 3; 1991, ch. 262, § 39; 1995, ch. 144, § 5; 2016, ch. 42, § 1.

The 2016 amendment, effective May 18, 2016, changed references to the commission on higher education to the higher education department, and added definitions as used in the Osteopathic Medical Student Loan for Service Act; in Subsection A, after the subsection designation, deleted "'commission'" and added "department", and after "means the", deleted "commission on", and after "higher education", added "department"; added new Subsection B and redesignated the succeeding subsections accordingly; in Subsection C, after "contract between the", deleted "commission" and added "department"; in Subsection E, after "means", deleted "a resident of New Mexico who is a student" and added "a person", and after "assistant program", added "in New Mexico".

The 1995 amendment, effective July 1, 1995, rewrote Subsection C and added "or an osteopathic physician's assistant program" at the end of Subsection D.

The 1991 amendment, effective June 14, 1991, inserted "for Service" in the introductory paragraph; rewrote Subsection A which read " 'board' means the board of educational finance"; substituted "commission" for "board" in Subsection B; added present Subsection C; designated former Subsection C as Subsection D and made a minor stylistic change therein.