Payments made during your residency could count as qualifying payments towards PSLF, however, residents will need to make sure they: Consolidate all federal student loans into one Direct Loan. If you want to maximize your potential forgiveness amount and start qualifying payments as soon as possible, it may be smart to get this done during the grace period before repayment begins. Enroll in a PSLF eligible residency program. Don’t assume that working at a hospital means you’re automatically eligible for PSLF – use the employer search tool on studentaid.gov or schedule a free 30-minute consultation with our of our student loan specialists to understand what types of employers qualify for PSLF. Enroll in an IDR Plan. Enrolling in one of these four IDF plans helps to stabilize your monthly student loan payments and is a prerequisite for PSLF.