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|  | Setup             InstructionsPrograms > Diversity > Health Careers Opportunity Program
**Health Careers Opportunity Program** grants increase the number of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in the health and allied health professions. A more diverse health workforce is needed to meet the needs of underserved populations.
HCOP enhances the academic skills of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and supports them in successfully competing, entering and graduating from health professions training programs. 

**Students participating in HCOP must be:**- **Disadvantaged Students -** defined as a student from an **environment that has inhibited** the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills and abilities to succed in a health professions school or from a program providing education or training in an allied health profession, and/or a student from a family with an **annual income below** a level based on low-income thresholds according to family size 
- In K-12, undergraduate or graduate programs 
- U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or foreign nationals with a visa permitting permanent U.S. residence 

**All Health Career Opportunities Programs**- **Recruit individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds** for health professions training 
- **Assist disadvantaged students to enter****training programs** in health or allied health professions 
- **Provide counseling, mentoring and other services** that help students successfully complete their training 
- **Provide preliminary education and health research training**  
- Publicize financial aid  and financial planning resources to students and parents, as well as information about health care careers and training 
- **Expose students to community-based primary health care** with public and private nonprofit providers. 
- Develop a **larger and more competitive applicant pool** through partnerships with institutions of higher education, school districts and other community-based entities. 

**Eligibility**- Schools of Medicine (allopathic or osteopathic), Public Health, Dentistry, Physician Assistants, Veterinary Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy, Podiatric Medicine, Allied Health Chiropractic or graduate programs in Clinical Psychology 
- Public or private nonprofit health or educational entities 
- May be a university, college, junior college, state or local government health or education agency, health or education association or organization 
- Located in a state, U.S. territory or the District of Columbia 
- Not be a nursing program, which                 by law are funded through Nursing                 Workforce Diversity grants  

**Health               Careers Opportunity Program Grantees**- Fiscal                 Year 2003 grantees 
- Grantee Web                 sites 
- HCOP logo for                 download 

**For more information on the Health Careers Opportunity Program**, contact LCDR Karen Smith, ksmith1@hrsa.gov, 301-443-1348 Top | Home         | HRSA | HHS         | Privacy Policy | Search         | Disclaimers        Accessibility | Questions? |