Continue Funding for the Nurse Preceptor Incentive Program
HB 30 | Barry Knight

What would this budget amendment do? 
In 2021, the General Assembly gave $500,000 to the Virginia Department of Health for one year to provide financial incentives for otherwise unpaid preceptors who would provide the hands-on clinical instruction for advanced practice registered nurses* (APRNs). These preceptors can be physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants.

Students are required to complete at least 500 clinical hours in order to graduate as an APRN. A clinical preceptorship is a supervised clinical experience which allows students to apply knowledge gained in the didactic portion of a program to clinical practice. In Virginia, an APRN preceptor may be a physician, physician’s assistant, or an APRN.

By continuing this funding, Virginia can significantly increase student enrollment and prioritize those in underserved areas, especially in high-demand fields such as psychiatric and primary care. 

Virginia schools are having more difficulty in obtaining and retaining preceptors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for advanced practice nurses is expected to grow by 31 percent between 2016 and 2026. But as more healthcare workers leave the profession due to burnout from the pandemic, those projections could soon rise. 
  
• Some Virginia schools had to administratively withdraw FNP students from clinical practicum courses because they were unable to secure a reliable clinical placement for them. Preceptors may be willing but face barriers including lack of time, no compensation, and administrative barriers.
  
• Many NP students are practicing nurses taking care of current COVID patients. Some preceptors are hesitant to precept these NP students due to an added risk in their primary care practice. 
  
• Increased stress and burnout among providers means increased workloads for others.
  
• Some providers could not accept NP students or students needed to leave the practice due to COVID exposures (provider and/or student exposures).

Other States Have Implemented Similar Programs
Several states have taken steps to address the problem by providing a tax benefit to preceptors. Beginning with Colorado in 2013, at least five states have implemented a similar program. Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Hawaii have also approved programs, and several other states are currently considering incentives for APRN preceptors. 

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References
*An advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) is a nurse who has a master’s, post-master’s certificate, or practice-focused doctor of nursing practice degree in one of four specific roles. The four APRN roles currently defined in practice are: Nurse Practitioners (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), Certified Nurse-midwives (CNM), and Certified Nurse Anesthetists (CNA).
Campaign for Action, “Hawaii Joins States Using Tax Laws to Support Nursing Education,” June 2018.