Picture a woman who completes every course required for her degree, balances a job, raises children, and reaches the final stage of her training, only to discover that the hundreds of hours she must complete next are legally unpaid. In 43 states, employers who would gladly compensate her for that work are prohibited from doing so. If policymakers want a response to workforce shortages, economic mobility, and the labor disruptions already emerging from artificial intelligence, they should start by removing this outdated restriction.
The policy change I am advocating does not require a new federal program, a major spending package, or an employer mandate. It simply allows employers to pay apprentices for required clinical and field-based training hours if they choose to do so. Seven states have already modernized their laws. The remaining 43 should do the same.
