BySenate Health & Long Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Brown, Conway, Honeyford, King, Lovick, Short, Van De Wege, Warnick, Wellman, C. Wilson, J. Wilson, and L. Wilson)

AN ACT Relating to establishing pilot projects for utilizing high school student nursing assistant-certified programs to address the nursing workforce shortage and promote nursing careers in rural hospitals; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The nursing care quality assurance commission, in collaboration with rural hospitals, nursing assistant-certified training programs, and the department of labor and industries, shall establish at least two pilot projects for rural hospitals to utilize high school students who are training to become nursing assistant-certified or high school students who are nursing assistant-certified to help address the workforce shortages and promote nursing careers in rural hospitals.

(2) At least one of the rural hospitals participating in the pilot projects must be east of the Cascade mountains and at least one of the rural hospitals participating in the pilot projects must be west of the Cascade mountains.

(3) The pilot projects shall prioritize using the nursing assistant-certified high school students to their full scope of practice and identify any barriers to doing this.

(4) The nursing care quality assurance commission may contract with a nursing consultant and a health services consultant to assist with establishing and supporting the pilot project, including identifying participants, coordinating with the groups and agencies as referenced in subsection (1) of this section and other stakeholders, and preparing reports to the legislature.

(5) Beginning December 1, 2023, the nursing care quality assurance commission shall annually report the status of the pilot projects and any findings and recommendations to the health care committees of the legislature.