America has long welcomed the world’s tired, poor, huddled masses. Yet we also want energetic, educated, and independent immigrants.
Last week, the Biden administration announced a plan to make it easier for high-skilled Russians to immigrate to the United States. The plan would allow Russians with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math to get a visa without first getting approval from an employer. President Joe Biden’s team wants to encourage the brain drain from Russia and address workforce shortages in America, too.
But for Russian physicians, there’s a big caveat: They can come, but they can’t practice medicine. No matter how much training and experience a Russian doctor has, and no matter how large the state’s physician shortage, those doctors cannot practice medicine without special permission from their new state’s medical boards. And state medical boards require all doctors to spend years training after medical school through a “residency” program in the U.S. or Canada.
Even doctors recognized as global experts in their field must needlessly duplicate their training with a bunch of brand-new medical school graduates. Refugee doctors from around the world face similar dilemmas. They often take low-skilled jobs merely because their residency was in the “wrong” country. States should allow these migrant doctors to work, especially those with the skills and experience to treat patients themselves. One proposal would grant medical licenses to those who have completed a qualified residency abroad. Another proposal would allow hospitals to sponsor internationally trained physicians for interim licenses, convertible to full licenses.
New state laws can assure that doctors have adequate training, but they also prevent them from duplicating training. Thousands of doctors from across Russia and around the globe are ready to serve U.S. patients right now. But the prospect of repeating residency keeps them from using their skills to meet our needs.
America needs more doctors.
The U.S. faces a physician shortage in the thousands. The shortage is projected to exceed 120,000 by 2030. Approximately 40% of current physicians will reach retirement age by then. These national numbers mask the desperate need for doctors in rural and poorer areas. States should recognize that internationally trained physicians can help solve the large and growing physician shortage.
Washington state created a “limited license” last year that allows an American-trained physician to supervise international physicians. Washington’s program is similar to Missouri’s 2017 “Assistant Physicians” law that allows any medical school graduate to practice under doctor supervision. And state legislators in Arizona, Colorado, and Wisconsin introduced bills this year to provide a pathway to full licensure for physicians with international training.
New Jersey and multiple other states created temporary emergency licenses for international physicians to treat residents during the coronavirus pandemic. While participation varied, these licenses increased medical system capacity and let foreign-trained doctors use their training to treat patients in their new country. These programs will end soon, and those doctors will no longer be able to serve their patients. States shouldn’t limit themselves to creative solutions only during health emergencies. More states need to welcome trained physicians to practice within their jurisdictions.
The Biden administration sees the opportunity to attract skilled workers fleeing Russia. But states must do their part to encourage physicians to follow their scientific brethren to the U.S.
Jonathan Wolfson is chief legal officer and policy director at the Cicero Institute, where he focuses his policy research on healthcare and regulatory policy. He previously led the policy office at the Labor Department.
