WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) introduced the PRECEPT Nurses Act, a bipartisan bill that would address our country’s nursing shortage by establishing a $2,000 tax credit for nurses who serve as a clinical preceptor to nursing students. This important legislation is being introduced alongside Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Jim Costa (D-CA) in the House, and by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in the Senate.
“As a geriatric nurse practitioner, I have seen how staffing shortages negatively impact patients firsthand and know how important it is for our nurses to have access to the proper training they deserve,” said Congresswoman Jen Kiggans. “By creating more opportunities for both existing nurses and nursing students, we can provide better, more reliable care to America’s patients while preventing burnout in our healthcare workforce. I am proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle in both the House and Senate to introduce this important legislation and support nurses across our country.”
“As the husband of a nurse, I know just how critical our nurses are to our nation’s healthcare system. Unfortunately, the U.S. is projected to continue facing a massive shortage of nurses, and many nursing programs have specifically reported a lack of faculty and clinical preceptors as factors contributing to the nursing shortage crisis,” said Congressman Dave Joyce. “By providing a tax credit for nurses to serve as clinical preceptors, the PRECEPT Act would encourage more nurses to become preceptors and ensure nursing students and new hires have the mentorship they need to provide life-saving care to Americans.”
“Every family feels the impact of the nursing shortage, whether it’s longer waits in the emergency room or finding care for our loved ones,” said Congressman Jim Costa. “This legislation ensures that nurses training the next generation of healthcare professionals are better compensated. It’s a simple, common-sense way to make sure families get the care they need.”
“Mentors are the backbone of nurturing talent and shaping the workforce of tomorrow, and in nursing, preceptors fulfill this essential role,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President of the American Nurses Association. “The PRECEPT Nurses Act is an important step in recognizing the invaluable contributions of nurse preceptors and ensuring they have the support needed to address critical workforce shortages, particularly in underserved areas. We applaud Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Dave Joyce (R-OH) for their leadership on this vital issue. By investing in preceptors, this legislation strengthens the education of future nurses, strengthens the pipeline of health care professionals, and improves access to quality care in communities that need it most.”
“Supporting nursing schools, faculty, and students benefits the economy, promotes academic-practice partnerships, and strengthens the healthcare system as a whole,” said Dr. Deborah Trautman, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. “We applaud this vital effort and strongly encourage consideration and passage of the PRECEPT Nurses Act this Congress.”
“As Congress considers ways to support nursing education, addressing the need for more preceptors, one of the primary barriers to accepting all qualified students at nursing schools, remains a top priority,” said Dr. Jean Giddens, Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. “The PRECEPT Nurses Act offers an innovative approach to ensuring that today’s nursing students have the resources needed to serve as trusted healthcare providers in communities across the country.”
“Nurses are critical to the quality of health care provided to patients across communities — whether urban, suburban, or rural,” expressed Dr. Alfred Abuhamad, Executive Vice President of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University. “Rep. Kiggans trained as a nurse here at ODU and uniquely understands the impact of the nursing shortage we continue to experience in Hampton Roads and throughout Virginia. I am grateful for her willingness to expand access to resources to support those willing to commit through professional careers to caring for patients and their families.”
Background:
After serving in the U.S. Navy, Congresswoman Kiggans used her GI Bill benefits to go back to school and become a board-certified Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. A graduate of Old Dominion University’s Nursing School and Vanderbilt University’s Nurse Practitioner program, Rep. Kiggans has worked in several long-term care and nursing facilities in Virginia Beach and Norfolk in addition to serving as a primary care provider for a small private practice in Virginia Beach.
The PRECEPT Nurses Act addresses the nursing shortage by establishing a $2,000 tax credit for nurses who serve as a clinical preceptor to nursing students.
In the United States, the significant shortage of nurses is leading to worse outcomes for patients and causing burnout among the existing workforce. Requirements to become a registered nurse vary by state, but most states require several hundred hours of clinical training led by a certified nurse preceptor.
For more than a decade, schools of nursing have struggled to increase enrollments due primarily to an insufficient supply of faculty and clinical placement opportunities for students. To become a preceptor, nurses undergo extensive training, often at their own expense. Many cite increasing workload, burnout, and lack of institutional support as reasons for not becoming a preceptor. The PRECEPT Nurses Act would incentivize nurses to become a nurse preceptor, thereby increasing the number of nurse preceptors to then allow more nursing students to receive their clinical training and enter the workforce.
You can read the full bill text here and find a one pager on this bill here.
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