Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant Increase in the Rate'' for Implementation of the General Statutory Funding Preference for Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships for Fiscal Year 1994

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant

Increase in the Rate'' for Implementation of the General Statutory

Funding Preference for Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships for Fiscal Year

1994

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces

the final minimum percentages for ``high rate'' and ``significant

increase in the rate'' for implementation of the general statutory

funding preference for fiscal year (FY) 1994 Grants for Nurse

Anesthetist Traineeships funded under the authority of section 831(a),

title VIII of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the

Nurse Education and Practice Improvement Amendments of 1992, title II

of the Health Professions Education Extension Amendments of 1992,

Public Law 102-408, dated October 13, 1992.

Purpose

Section 831(a) of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the

Secretary to award grants to cover the costs of traineeships for

licensed registered nurses to become nurse anesthetists.

Statutory Funding Preference

Preference will be given to any qualified applicant that:

(a) Has a high rate for placing graduates in practice settings

having the principal focus of serving residents of medically

underserved communities; or

(b) During the 2-year period preceding the fiscal year for which

such an award is sought, has achieved a significant increase in the

rate of placing graduates in such settings.

Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant Increase in the

Rate''

A notice which announced this grant cycle was published in the

Federal Register on November 3, 1993 at 58 FR 58701, and proposed

minimum percentages for ``high rate'' and ``significant increase in the

rate'' for implementation of the general statutory funding preference.

One letter was received during the 30 day comment period. The

respondent suggested that the reference to public health nurses in the

definition of ``high rate'' be deleted since it is not relevant to this

program. The definition of ``high rate'' has been revised to include

this suggestion. Other comments on issues not specifically proposed for

public comment are not addressed in this notice. The final minimum

percentages are shown below.

``High rate'' is defined as a minimum of 20 percent of graduates in

academic years 1990-91, 1991-92 or 1992-93 who spend at least 50

percent of their worktime in clinical practice in the specified

settings. Graduates who are providing care in a medically underserved

community as a part of a fellowship or other educational experience can

be counted.

``Significant increase in the rate'' means that, between academic

years 1991-92 and 1992-93, the rate of placing graduates in the

specified settings has increased by a minimum of 50 percent and that

not less than 15 percent of graduates from the most recent year are

working in these settings.

Additional Information

If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact:

Ms. Donna English, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions,

Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn Building, room

9-36, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301)

443-5763 FAX: (301) 443-8586.

This program, Grants for Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships, is listed

at 93.124 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. It is not

subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental

Review of Federal Programs (as implemented through 45 CFR part 100).

This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting

Requirements.

Dated: June 3, 1994.

Ciro V. Sumaya,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 94-13932 Filed 6-7-94; 8:45 am]

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