Pictured above: Dr. Melanie Arakaki, (JABSOM MD 1998) is a preceptor to medical students rotating through her offices in Hilo. Dr. Arakaki is pictured in the center, when she received the first Award of Teaching Excellence by the Hawaiʻi Academy of Family Physicians, in 2016.
By Tina Shelton, JABSOM Communications Director
More than 1,200 physicians in Hawaiʻi are volunteer medical professors.
They donate their time to help train the next generation of physicians for the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). In clinics and in their offices statewide, these dedicated physicians – many who are JABSOM alumni – allow our future doctors to learn first-hand from experienced doctors while they are “on the job.”
Tomorrow, a new law will be signed to allow these vital volunteer doctor/professors, called “preceptors,” to receive an annual tax credit of up to $5,000 per year, in recognition of their longstanding service to our State.
Annually, JABSOM educates some 280 MD students and trains another 200-300 physicians in MD Residency or Fellowship (specialty training) programs in partnership with hospitals in Hawaiʻi. The volunteer clinical faculty members take the time to be aware of the most recent developments in medicine, and without them donating their time in their offices and in JABSOM classrooms, the medical school could not perform its mission in the exemplary fashion which has earned it superior rankings among its peer institutions.
The tax credit measure, SB 2298, will be signed into law at noon on Wednesday, June 13 in the Governor’s Chambers at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. The bill also allows tax credits for the volunteers who help the UH train our state’s future advanced practice registered nurses and pharmacists.
As the Hawaiʻi State Legislature put it, the bill “…encourages preceptors (volunteer teachers) to offer professional instruction, training, and supervision to students and residents seeking careers as primary care physicians and advanced practice registered nurses throughout Hawai’i, with the intention of building capacity for clinical education at in-state academic programs that are nationally accredited for the training of primary care physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and pharmacy professionals.”
The amount of the tax credit, according to the measure, “…shall be equal to $1,000 for each volunteer-based supervised clinical training rotation supervised by the taxpayer, up to a maximum of $5,000 per taxable year, regardless of the number of volunteer-based supervised clinical training rotations supervised by the taxpayer.”
The tax credit applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2018.
Governor David Ige’s office says the bill signing event will be streamed LIVE through Facebook Live at facebook.com/governordavidige