ALBANY – NYS Sen. Jake Ashby is advocating for legislation that would provide $5,000 stipends to health care workers who become preceptors, particularly nurses, physician assistants and midwives.

Preceptors mentor and supervise emerging health care professionals while they complete required clinical work. The stipend will encourage more clinicians to take on this time-consuming, important role, help more students complete their clinical requirements and improve industry recruitment and retention.

“It’s pretty simple: we don’t have a health care system without health care workers,” said Ashby. “This is about helping more workers break into the industry and making sure that the professionals who mentor them have one more reason to stay right here in New York. Staffing shortages impact health care accessibility, quality of care and astronomically drive up costs.

Ashby was joined by Assemblyman John McDonald (D-Cohoes) who is also a Registered Pharmacist.

“I sponsor the New York State Preceptor Stipend Program bill because we need to find ways to attract more people into high-need fields in the professions,” McDonald said. “As a health care professional, I understand the challenges in attracting more people to the field.

The lawmakers are seeking to start with a pilot program that would seed a $5 million grant fund administered by New York State Education Department that would incentivize 1,000 preceptors and help thousands of students enter the health care workforce. Ashby noted that the lawmakers would track the program’s progress and could expand it to include other clinical fields if it’s efficient and cost effective.

Ashby represents a large portion of Washington County.