Senate Bill S7609

                                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.

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.