BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Interested parties assert that Texas currently has more students who graduate from state medical schools each year than it has spots in graduate medical education programs, or "residencies," which leads many students to enroll in residency programs in other states. Those parties further argue that it is a common practice for individuals to ultimately practice medicine in the same region in which they completed their residency, meaning that the state is not seeing a full return on its investment in health care education. Finally, those parties note that this comes at a time when, as the population continues to increase, Texas faces a growing need for medical professionals.
H.B. 2908 seeks to address this problem by directing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to undertake an assessment of the adequacy of opportunities for graduates of medical schools in Texas to enter graduate medical education in Texas.
H.B. 2908 amends current law relating to providing graduate medical education positions for Texas medical school graduates.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 61.051, Education Code, by adding Subsection (a-4), as follows:
(a-4) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to include in the five-year master plan developed under Subsection (a-1) (relating to requiring THECB to develop a five-year master plan for higher education in this state) an assessment of the adequacy of opportunities for graduates of medical schools in this state to enter graduate medical education in this state. Requires that the assessment:
(1) compare the number of first-year graduate medical education positions available annually with the number of medical school graduates;
(2) include a statistical analysis of recent trends in and projections of the number of medical school graduates and first-year graduate medical education positions in this state;
(3) develop methods and strategies for achieving a ratio for the number of first-year graduate medical education positions to the number of medical school graduates in this state of at least 1.1 to 1;
(4) evaluate current and projected physician workforce needs of this state, by total number and by specialty, in the development of additional first-year graduate medical education positions; and
(5) examine whether this state should ensure that a first-year graduate medical education position is created in this state for each new medical student position established by a medical and dental unit.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2011.