ALBANY, NY – State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (SD - 11) and Assemblymember Donna Lupardo (AD - 123) today announced that legislation allowing nursing programs to expand their clinical simulation programs to up to one-third of total clinical training has passed both Houses of the State Legislature. This legislation, S447C/A3076A, was introduced to address the nursing shortage facing our state by expanding access to hands-on clinical education. The bill awaits action by Governor Hochul. *

New York is experiencing a nursing availability crisis which was exacerbated by the pandemic. The state is projected to face a shortage of almost 40,000 nurses by 2030. Simulation-based learning experiences (SBLE) expose students to lifelike clinical environments while providing more flexible delivery of clinical experiences for nursing programs. SBLE are nationally tested and have already been adopted by nursing education programs in dozens of states.

* This legislation will go into effect as early as the Spring 2024 semester if signed by June 2023.

“New York is facing a nursing shortage,” said Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee. “This legislation will enable more qualified students to have access to a place in a nursing program by allowing nursing students to complete up to one-third of the clinical requirement through a simulation experience. 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. I thank Assemblymember Lupardo for sponsoring this legislation in the Assembly.” 

Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “Now that our nursing simulation bill has passed through both Houses, I’m looking forward to the Governor signing it into law. I would like to thank Senator Stavisky, CICU, the Chancellors of both the SUNY and CUNY systems, SED, and my colleagues for pushing this over the finish line. Allowing up to one-third of clinical training to be simulation-based will not only help address our nursing shortage, but it will also expose students to a valuable, hands-on learning experience. I have witnessed these trainings first-hand at Binghamton University’s Decker College of Nursing and seen how realistic these state-of-the-art simulations can be.”

Lola W. Brabham, President of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, said, “On behalf of New York’s 100-plus private, nonprofit colleges and universities, I want to thank the NYS Legislature for passing S.447/A.3076 which, once signed into law, will permit nursing programs in New York to utilize simulation-based learning experiences to help train the nurses the state desperately needs. It is an important step in the legislative process, and we thank Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo for their leadership in sponsoring this bill and for securing its passage in the Legislature.”