§ 606. County awards for professional education in nursing, medicine,
dentistry, optometry or veterinary medicine. Each county of the state
outside New York city is hereby authorized to establish awards in such
manner as the local legislative body of such county may determine, for
attendance by legal residents of this state, who meet the citizenship
requirements established by article fourteen of this chapter for the
professional study of nursing, medicine, dentistry, optometry or
veterinary medicine, at approved nursing, medical, dental, optometry or
veterinary medicine schools within the United States, conditioned upon
the promise of the scholarship holder to practice nursing, medicine,
dentistry, optometry or veterinary medicine in such county for such
period as such body may fix, following his licensing as a nurse,
physician, dentist, optometrist or veterinarian. Each such award shall
entitle the recipient to such sum of money as may be fixed by such body
while in attendance at approved nursing, medical, dental, optometry or
veterinary medicine schools in the United States during a period of not
to exceed four years of professional study and for physicians for a
further period of not to exceed two years while engaged in an internship
or as a resident physician in an accredited hospital in the United
States. Such awards may, as an alternative to awards hereinbefore
authorized, be granted by any such county to those already so licensed
to practice nursing, medicine, dentistry, optometry or veterinary
medicine upon the promise of such grantees to practice within the county
for a period of time and upon such terms and conditions as the county
may fix, provided such recipient did not receive a similar award while a
student. The county shall appropriate annually such sums of money as
may be necessary to defray the costs of such awards and moneys so
appropriated shall be deemed appropriated for a lawful county purpose
and shall be raised by the same method as moneys required for other
lawful county purposes.