![]() ![]() During the COVID emergency, nurses licensed in other states were allowed to practice here, but since that policy ended, nurses are incentivized to work in states with easier licensing processes. The report proposes common sense ways to eliminate redundant requirements - like rules requiring nurses to take an English proficiency test and have their credentials evaluated by an outside agency even if they already passed the test or completed the evaluation in another state. Minnesota offers a nine-month program to prepare doctors for residencies, and the program funds two to three residencies each year.įor nurses, who do not have a residency requirement, the biggest barriers to licensure tend to be administrative. Tennessee this year removed the requirement altogether, while New Jersey waived it temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts would not be first to remove the residency requirement for foreign-trained doctors. Jack Lewis said the bill would “help folks who are eager to give back to the community, who have the skill set, experience, and desire to give back, and also meet unmet needs within our Commonwealth.” ![]() After completing that, the doctor would get a two-year license under which they could work independently but only in an underserved area. They could then apply for a renewable one-year limited license to participate in a mentorship program at a health facility that serves an area with a physician shortage, where the doctor would have their skills evaluated. A doctor would still have to pass the US medical licensing exam. One solution is legislation introduced by state Senator Jason Lewis and state Representative Jack Lewis, based on recommendations made by the special commission, that would create a pathway to licensure for physicians without a residency. Residencies are low paid and require grueling hours, which may not be practical for a mid-career physician. Residencies are competitive, and most programs only consider recent medical school graduates. But practically, getting a residency can be nearly impossible for these doctors. Currently, foreign-trained doctors can only get licensed in Massachusetts after completing a three-year US residency, compared to the two years required for US-trained doctors, in addition to passing the required exams. Some of the administrative steps are straightforward, like developing clear guidelines to inform immigrants about the requirements for obtaining licensure.īut addressing the biggest barrier facing foreign-trained doctors would require a major legislative change. The Healey administration and the Legislature should work quickly to implement the recommendations of the 2022 commission, which included a diverse group of medical professionals. The state needs more doctors in specialties like primary care and in regions like Bristol and Plymouth counties and parts of Western Massachusetts. ![]() ![]() That is a large pool of talented people whose skills are being underused at a time when 1 in 4 Massachusetts doctors report plans to leave medicine in the next two years and acute care hospitals have an estimated 19,000 unfilled positions in a variety of medical fields. The 2014 commission report said there were 12,000 foreign-born health care professionals in Massachusetts, of whom two-thirds were educated outside the United States. The exact number of people affected by this issue is unclear, but the Migration Policy Institute estimated, based on 2017 data, that Massachusetts has around 3,000 foreign-educated immigrant adults whose health care-related undergraduate degrees are not being fully utilized. It recommended providing clearer guidance to immigrants on licensing, developing educational programs, and reexamining licensing requirements.įast-forward to 2022 and another commission established to study the issue, this time for then-governor Charlie Baker, reported that nearly one-quarter of internationally trained nurses are unemployed or working in low-skilled jobs, as are 13 percent of all immigrants to Massachusetts with health care-related degrees from outside the United States. That commission found that 1 in 5 foreign-trained health care professionals were unemployed or underemployed, working in a low-wage, low-skilled job. Making it easier for doctors and nurses to get licensed to practice would help those immigrants it would also serve the Commonwealth by providing a culturally and linguistically diverse workforce of skilled professionals.Ī commission first studied the issue in 2014 under then-governor Deval Patrick. Massachusetts has long been a welcoming state for immigrants, yet its system for licensing medical professionals is unduly onerous. At a time when Massachusetts needs more medical professionals, there is an untapped well of medical knowledge in the state: foreign-trained doctors and nurses. ![]()
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