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History
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
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Establishes a demonstration program of physician assistant training in underserved areas by students of foreign institutions
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Deborah Glick
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S7609
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a demonstration program of physician assistant training in underserved areas by students of foreign institutions, and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose
To require the Department of Education to establish processes for the approval of curricula offered by foreign medical school for students in physician assistants programs, clinical training programs for such students that would take place in underserved areas of the state and a graduate exam to be taken by persons completing such programs, all in a manner that follows the process used to approve domestic programs. The number of persons who would be eligible for registration as physician assistants pursuant to this program would be limited to 250 for each year for the first 5 years following the enactment of this bill.
Read the full memo (603 words)
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Creates a physician assistant training demonstration program by amending the education law to require the commissioner of education to approve of a physician assistant training program for students of foreign medical schools that includes supervised clinical training in underserved areas and classroom work that is equivalent to that already required for students in approved domestic physician assistant training programs. Also, section 1 states the purpose of the act, which is to increase access to primary care in underserved areas.
Section 2. Directs the commissioner to establish a process by which foreign medical school classroom work and clinical training programs may be approved for the purpose of training of physician assistants.
Section 3. Directs the commissioner to approve of an appropriate physician assistant graduate exam for those persons completing approved programs described in section 1.
Section 4. Limits the number of acceptable registration applications that use the methods set forth in the bill to 250 in any twelve month period.
Section 5. Establishes that the act shall take effect immediately and that the training requirements set forth in section 1 and the registration limits set forth in section 4 shall expire in 5 years.
Justification
To provide quality health care for all New Yorkers, it is essential to have a constant supply of physician professionals. However, fewer
medical doctors are choosing to enter the medical profession as general practitioners and many are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. Indeed, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has reported that over 25% of physicians are 60 years of age or older and projected that the United State will experience a shortage of over 130,000 full-time equivalent physicians by 2025. Also, a study by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), with finding released in its 2011 Physician Advocacy Survey, found that 109 hospitals reported a shortage of a total of 763 doctors.
Due to this growing shortage of medical professionals performing in our state, health care facilities, particularly those in underserved areas, face the prospect of shrinking staffs just as the estimated 78 million baby boomers begin to reach the age of 65. In order to meet the need for professional medical services, New York must provide access to the medical profession to those individuals who complete quality education and training programs. Currently, persons who receive education and training from foreign medical schools are not eligible for registration in New York as physician assistants, despite the growing need for their services, especially in underserved areas, which are equivalent in quality to those who graduate from domestic programs.
This legislation would establish a program that would require that certain allow individuals who complete education.
Legislative history
New legislation.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.