WATCH: Why this student may be one of rural WI’s last to go to medical school

By Salina Heller

September 16, 2025

Twenty-five-year-old Paige Bruggink of Sheboygan County feels lucky.

With the average cost of medical school being almost $300,000, Paige is grateful to have had federal loans, support from her parents, and now a husband who helps pay for groceries and living expenses while she’s on her way to becoming a doctor—maybe an OB-GYN. 🩺

Between the admissions test, board exams, residency applications, and not to mention tuition—Paige says it’s EXPENSIVE.

Medical students after her won’t be so lucky. President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” caps the amount of federal student loans a student can borrow—not even covering the debt most medical students graduate with. That means now, becoming a doctor may only be limited to the wealthy.

That’s going to hurt people like those in Sheboygan County—where there are only two hospitals that have maternity and birthing services—and where Paige hopes to return to work.

✏️: Salina Heller

Author

Salina Heller

A former 15-year veteran of reporting local news for western Wisconsin TV and radio stations, Salina Heller also volunteers in community theater, helps organize the Chippewa Valley Air Show, and is kept busy by her daughter’s elementary school PTA meetings. She is a UW-Eau Claire alum.

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