This bill authorizes the establishment and expansion of primary care team education centers through federal grants, aiming to enhance community-based training for health professionals and develop innovative preceptor models. Its primary purpose is to improve access to care by ensuring more health professional students gain clinical experience in multidisciplinary primary care settings. Grant funds will be used to foster partnerships with higher education institutions or healthcare organizations to address shortages in clinical faculty, sites, and preceptors. This includes establishing mutually beneficial agreements for precepting by clinical staff, utilizing innovative employment and compensation models to enhance recruitment and retention, and potentially paying preceptor salaries. The centers will also support health professional student training by implementing curricula that integrate clinical education into primary care settings, addressing student well-being and mental health. Additionally, funds can provide assistance for student housing or transportation during clinical training, promote integrating non-traditional health professionals like school nurses and community health workers into primary care teams, and support career advancement for center employees. When awarding grants, the Secretary will prioritize applications demonstrating how the program will identify regional health profession labor shortages, increase the number of health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and provide preceptor training. The Secretary is required to submit annual reports to Congress on grant outcomes, and the bill authorizes significant appropriations, starting at $10 million in fiscal year 2027, with recipients of these grants being ineligible for certain other teaching health center development grants.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Health
PCTEC Act
USA119th CongressS-4370| Senate
| Updated: 4/22/2026
This bill authorizes the establishment and expansion of primary care team education centers through federal grants, aiming to enhance community-based training for health professionals and develop innovative preceptor models. Its primary purpose is to improve access to care by ensuring more health professional students gain clinical experience in multidisciplinary primary care settings. Grant funds will be used to foster partnerships with higher education institutions or healthcare organizations to address shortages in clinical faculty, sites, and preceptors. This includes establishing mutually beneficial agreements for precepting by clinical staff, utilizing innovative employment and compensation models to enhance recruitment and retention, and potentially paying preceptor salaries. The centers will also support health professional student training by implementing curricula that integrate clinical education into primary care settings, addressing student well-being and mental health. Additionally, funds can provide assistance for student housing or transportation during clinical training, promote integrating non-traditional health professionals like school nurses and community health workers into primary care teams, and support career advancement for center employees. When awarding grants, the Secretary will prioritize applications demonstrating how the program will identify regional health profession labor shortages, increase the number of health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and provide preceptor training. The Secretary is required to submit annual reports to Congress on grant outcomes, and the bill authorizes significant appropriations, starting at $10 million in fiscal year 2027, with recipients of these grants being ineligible for certain other teaching health center development grants.