Coming to the Rescue: How International Medical Graduates Can Increase Access to Health Care

It is increasingly difficult for patients to access health care clinicians, especially in rural and underserved areas. Not enough clinicians are entering the workforce to replace those quitting or retiring while the US population is growing and aging. The average wait for a first‐​time doctor’s appointment is 26 days. Yet, state licensing laws prevent experienced international medical graduates (IMGs) who migrate to the United States from offering their services to residents. Unlike many other developed countries, American states require IMGs to repeat their residency training in accredited US programs – convincing many IMGs to not practice medicine. Several states are reforming their licensing laws to remove obstacles preventing IMGs from practicing medicine, but not without controversy.

Join Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director at the Cicero Institute, Maqbool Halepota, MD, FACP, Medical Director at Palo Verde Cancer Center‐​Scottsdale, and Lisa Robin, Chief Advocacy Officer at the Federation of State Medical Boards, for a discussion of the issue.

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