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Lawmakers hear $9 million‑a‑year request to expand residency slots; medical schools and hospitals urge funds to retain graduates
Summary
Senate Bill 262 would provide $4.5 million each year of the next biennium to expand residency and fellowship positions in Nevada; medical schools, students and hospitals told the Finance Committee the funding is needed to keep newly trained doctors in the state.
Senator Julie Pizzina introduced Senate Bill 262, a state appropriation to expand graduate medical education (GME) in Nevada. The bill requests $4.5 million in fiscal year 2025–26 and $4.5 million in 2026–27, intended to seed new residency and fellowship positions across specialties and to increase the state’s capacity to retain medical school graduates.
Proponents at the hearing included academic medical centers, hospital systems and medical students from Nevada’s two medical schools. Philip Clark, senior associate dean for administration and finance at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, said UNR is graduating 70 medical students this year but has only 35 in‑state residency slots; most graduates therefore leave the state for training. Kate Martin, associate dean for graduate medical education at UNLV’s Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, told the committee that many residents depart Nevada to pursue subspecialty fellowships that the state currently does not offer.
Student witnesses said physicians are more likely to practice where they complete residency. Douglas Collins, a second‑year UNR medical student, and other students described ties to Nevada and urged lawmakers to invest so they can train and remain in state. Testimony cited national analyses showing that completing both medical school and residency in the same state greatly increases the likelihood a physician will remain in that state as a practicing clinician.
Hospitals and health systems also supported SB262. Representatives from Valley Health, UMC, Dignity Health Saint Rose and HCA Healthcare told the committee the state needs more GME positions to shore up primary care and specialty capacity for a growing population. The Nevada State Medical Association and the Nevada Hospital Association echoed that this is a long‑term workforce strategy: more residency slots produce more practicing physicians over time.
The sponsor described the scale of the investment needed. Commenters noted the average annual cost per resident is in the $180,000–$200,000 range (salaries, benefits and program overhead), with program length depending on specialty (three years for family medicine, pediatrics or internal medicine; longer for many surgical residencies and subspecialties). SB262’s appropriation is intended to be a state contribution to help hospitals and medical schools create and sustain new accredited programs.
The committee received broad and near‑unanimous support in testimony from the medical schools, student leaders and hospital systems. No opponents appeared at the hearing. The bill was closed for testimony with plans for follow‑up on program design and allocation of funds to specific residency expansions.
