Up to 30 percent of New York nurses' clinical training time could be conducted in a simulation lab if Gov. Kathy Hochul signs legislation recently passed by the State Assembly, according to an April 3 article on nurse.org.
If the governor signs the bill before June, the law would go into effect for the spring 2024 semester.
The bill is designed to address the critical nursing shortage in New York.
N.Y. state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee and co-sponsor of the bill, said in a March 27 news release that "These simulated experiences effectively replicate the experience a nurse will face in the field. It is an effective tool that will help New York train and license more qualified, quality nurses to help fill a growing and critical need."
Additionally, the bill is designed to provide a faster route for qualified nurses to take the National Council Licensure Examination.
Currently, there are restrictions on time in simulation labs and nurses are not able to replace in-person, pre-licensure clinical hours with lab time.
"I have witnessed these trainings firsthand at Binghamton University's Decker College of Nursing and seen how realistic these state-of-the-art simulations can be," N.Y. state Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, co-sponsor of the bill, said in the release.