BILL NUMBER:S2219         REVISED MEMO 05/14/13

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 increase access to physician assistant services in underserved
areas by establishing a program that would permit foreign medical
school students, having completed a clinical training program in an
underserved area, to register with the State Education Department.

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 programs offered by foreign medical schools. The
program would be required to include supervised clinical training in
an underserved area and classroom work that is equivalent to that
required by Section 6541 of the Education Law for students enrolled in
approved domestic programs. Section 1 also sets forth the purpose of
the act.

Section 2. Directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a
              

process by which foreign medical school physician assistant program
classroom work and clinical training may be approved.

Section 3. Directs the Commissioner of Education to approve a
physician assistant graduate mart for those persons completing
approved programs described in Section 1.

Section 4. Limits the number of registration applications acceptable
pursuant to the program established by this legislation to 250 in any
twelve month period.

Section 5, Establishes that the act shall take effect immediately and
expire in five years.

JUSTIFICATION:

It is essential to have a constant supply of medical professionals to
provide quality health care, Unfortunately, fewer medical school
students are choosing to become general practitioners just as many
general practitioners 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 States will experience a shortage of over
130,000 full time equivalent physicians by 2025. Furthermore, a study
by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), the finding
of which were released in its 2011 Physician Advocacy Survey, found
that 109 state hospitals report a shortage of a total of 763 doctors,
This growing shortage of medical professionals is occurring just as
the estimated 78 million baby boomers begin to reach the age of 65.


Physician assistants practice medicine under the direction of
physicians and surgeons and are formally trained to examine patients,
diagnose injuries and illnesses and provide treatment. These
professionals often provide primary care services that are suitable to
the alternative of general practice medical doctor services.

This bill would ease the burden on our State's medical professionals
by increasing the supply of primary care services by allowing foreign
medical school physician assistant students to perform clinical
training in underserved communities. Currently, the State Education
Department does not register graduates of foreign medical school
physician assistant programs. This legislation would establish a
foreign student registration system with standards equivalent to those
used to review students that complete domestic programs and then seek
to register in the State.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2012 S.7609

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Immediately.