I 
107TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5576
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a pilot program 
to be conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assess the 
benefits of establishing a nurse preceptor program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2002
Mr. LYNCH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a 
pilot program to be conducted by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to assess the benefits of establishing 
a nurse preceptor program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Vet-
erans Affairs Nurse Preceptor Pilot Program Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) The number of nurses retiring in the next 
10 years is expected to far exceed the number of 
new nurses joining the workforce, resulting in a na-
tionwide nursing shortage. 
(2) This shortage will certainly affect health 
care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
which, like many other health care facilities, are al-
ready seeing a shrinking pool of highly trained 
nurses. 
(3) Nursing care is vital to providing the best 
patient care possible and, as the nursing shortage 
worsens, care for veterans who have sacrificed much 
for the liberties and freedoms enjoyed by the Amer-
ican people will suffer. 
SEC. 3. NURSE PRECEPTOR PILOT PROGRAM WITHIN THE 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—
(1) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall conduct a pilot program to assess 
the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a 
nurse preceptor program at Department of Veterans 
Affairs health care facilities. 
(2) NATURE
OF
PROGRAM.—The nurse pre-
ceptor pilot program shall consist of a rigorous 
training program to develop nurse preceptors who
will act as mentors to newly hired registered nurses 
at Department of Veterans Affairs health care facili-
ties. 
(b) STRUCTURE OF PROGRAM.—The nurse preceptor 
program shall include the following: 
(1) For registered nurses interested in becom-
ing preceptors, Intensive training and screening pro-
grams. 
(2) For registered nurses selected to be nurse 
preceptors—
(A) continuous professional development 
classes; and 
(B) an annual salary increase equal to 5 
percent of gross annual salary. 
(c) INTERIM REPORTS
TO CONGRESS.—Each cal-
endar year after the date of the enactment of this Act 
until the termination of the pilot program, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives a report on the effectiveness and usefulness 
of the nurse preceptor pilot program. 
(d) LOCATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The nurse pre-
ceptor pilot program shall be conducted through health 
care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs lo-
cated in the service region of the Veterans Health Admin-
istration designated as Veterans Integrated Service Net-
work 1 (‘‘VISN 1’’). 
(e) DURATION
OF PROGRAM.—The pilot program 
shall be conducted during the two-year period beginning 
on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(f) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the 
end of the pilot program under this section, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a final report on the pilot pro-
gram. The Secretary shall include in the report the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The Secretary’s assessment of the benefits 
to veterans of the pilot program. 
(2) The Secretary’s assessment of the effect of 
the pilot program on the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, including the effect on retention of a quali-
fied nursing staff. 
(3) Any other findings and conclusions of the 
Secretary with respect to the pilot program. 
(4) Any recommendations of the Secretary for 
continuation of the pilot program or for extension of 
the pilot program to other service regions or to all 
service regions.
Æ