U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced legislation this week aimed at expanding education and clinical training opportunities for the next generation of primary care professionals, a move supporters of the bill say would help those in rural and underserved communities.
The Primary Care Team Education Centers Act would build on an existing federal model — the Teaching Health Center program — to train health professionals at federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics and other community-based care settings.
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“Access to quality and affordable primary care is critical to the long-term health and well-being of our communities,” Kaine said. “But workforce shortages create barriers in accessing that care and exacerbate existing disparities in vulnerable communities. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to help address the underlying causes of health workforce shortages by investing in training future primary care providers.”
Addressing a growing shortage
The Health Resources and Services Administration estimates there will be a shortage of 70,610 primary care physicians by 2038. The new bill seeks to address that gap by expanding training infrastructure beyond what the existing Teaching Health Center program currently covers.
If enacted, the legislation would:
- Establish and expand primary care team education centers to train new health professionals
- Develop or enhance partnerships with institutions of higher education and health care organizations to address clinical faculty, site and preceptor shortages
- Support health professional student training in primary care
- Integrate and expand the role of health professionals involved in primary care
- Promote career advancement and retention for health professionals at primary care team education centers
- Prioritize grants that address training in health professional shortage areas and support preceptor advancement
Read the full bill available here.
Voices from the field
Supporters of the bill say the need for expanded training is especially urgent in rural and underserved communities.
“Healthcare professionals are the backbone of rural communities, not just for critical healthcare, but for the rural economy,” said Beth O’Connor, executive director of the Virginia Rural Health Association. “Rural communities cannot thrive without access to healthcare. An increase in training programs is essential for addressing workforce shortages and improving the healthcare infrastructure.”
The National Black Nurses Association also voiced strong support for the measure.
“The National Black Nurses Association, led by President Sheldon D. Fields, commend Senator Kaine for introducing the Primary Care Team Education Centers Act,” said NBNA Health Policy Chair Dr. Vivienne Pierce McDaniel. “We endorse any comprehensive and innovative efforts to address the nursing shortage, and expand access to high-quality training opportunities. Advancing these investments is essential to strengthening the workforce while promoting health equity and improving access to care for underserved communities.”
The PA Education Association highlighted the bill’s potential to solve a persistent challenge in physician assistant training.
“As PA programs across the country continue to face challenges in obtaining clinical rotations for students, the Primary Care Team Education Centers Act represents an innovative solution to ensuring high-quality, interprofessional training for our future health workforce,” said Sara Fletcher, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the PA Education Association. “PAEA applauds Senator Kaine’s leadership on this issue and is proud to endorse the legislation.”
The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists framed the legislation within the broader shift toward team-based care.
“More and more, healthcare has become a team sport with players from different disciplines working together to improve the health of patients,” said Chad Worz, Pharm.D., chief executive of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. “As we move toward this interdisciplinary model, we need a robust healthcare workforce that’s exposed, early on, to the modern team-based approach.”
“ASCP applauds Senator Kaine for introducing this greatly needed legislation,” Worz added. “We look forward to partnering with him and the co-sponsors to enact this important healthcare workforce pipeline legislation.”
Carey Goryl, chief executive officer of the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, emphasized the bill’s focus on communities with the greatest need.
“The Primary Care Team Education Centers Act expands team-based primary care training sites and supports preceptors so more students can train in communities with the greatest workforce needs,” Goryl said. “By strengthening clinical teaching capacity, it also helps recruit and retain the primary care workforce those communities rely on.”
The National League for Nursing highlighted the bill’s potential impact on nursing education and faculty shortages.
“The Primary Care Team Education Centers Act offers a creative approach to addressing our nation’s shortages of nurses and nursing faculty, supporting collaboration between our nursing education programs and centers that can serve as critically needed clinical training sites focused on improving community-based care,” said National League for Nursing President and CEO Dr. Beverly Malone.