Most of us can recall being an intern — and the struggle of clocking those needed clinical or experiential hours to obtain a degree. 

Students facing challenges with paying for school and training are often eligible for financial aid and grants through state and federal programs. In addition, when students complete their training and become licensed, they frequently become employees of the training host — and often with loan forgiveness programs and tuition reimbursement should the student wish to further his or her education and training. 

A proposed state law called AB 387 would require hospitals to pay allied health students minimum wage for time spent in training required for the students’ licensure, costing hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars. The California Hospital Association and HASC believe that would place an unfair burden on hospitals, however.

Internships, simply put, are necessary training — and federal laws prohibit students from providing unsupervised care for a myriad of reasons.  

For example, students in radiologic technologist programs can only perform procedures if a qualified licensed individual is physically present to observe, verify and correct as needed the student’s use of the equipment. Therefore, these students are in training mode and not lawfully allowed to deliver care except within the strict laws outlining supervision requirements. 

Students are obtaining the necessary experience to become a fully-licensed professional at the hospital’s expense. They are not employees, and the cost of treating them as such will have the adverse consequence of reducing students’ opportunities to benefit from a hospital’s willingness to provide training. 

Hospital training programs are funded exclusively by hospitals. These costs are not reimbursed by private insurance, Medi-Cal or other sources. Hospitals invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year in these programs in the form of paid staff time for supervisors and mentors who train students, loaning licensed staff to serve as faculty at educational institutions, and investing in training facilities and special equipment. 

Without adequate training sites, allied health programs would close, which would exacerbate current workforce shortages. 

Simply put, AB 387 would limit training programs to the detriment of students, California’s community colleges, hospitals and patients. 

Joined by HASC, the California Hospital Association is strongly opposed to this proposed legislation — which is awaiting further action in the state assembly’s appropriations committee — and is committed to protecting the more than 40,000 allied health training opportunities provided by California’s hospitals each year.