We witnessed these consequences earlier this year when New York hospitals, under the siege of COVID-19, asked physicians across the country for help, and we are seeing the same phenomenon now locally in multiple pockets of the country. As a result, they are unable to work in other hospitals and in settings where their skills could make a difference. Further, the visa limits their scope of clinical practice limited to their specialty. Because of the strict restrictions placed upon them by their visas, alien physicians are restricted in their clinical practice to the facility listed on their visa and are forbidden from working at multiple hospitals. The immigration policies that govern alien physicians are challenging for the physicians and may work against the best interests of patients. They are essential to providing competent health care to these communities, many of which were already suffering from a severe shortage of doctors even before the worst pandemic in a century amplified this crisis, leading to hospital closures and reduced access to health care for millions of Americans. ![]() residents post-training.Īs a result, alien physicians disproportionately serve rural and urban underserved communities in the U.S. Within the current immigration system, it can take over a decade to become permanent U.S. for a period of three years only then can they apply for permanent residency. An alternative visa option allows the alien physician to work in an underserved region and/or hospital in the U.S. The most commonly utilized visa provides no direct path to permanent residency and requires the “visitor” to travel back to his or her country of origin upon completion of training for a minimum of two years. and train on a time-limited visa, which must be renewed frequently. The immigration policies for training and hiring alien physicians are complex. Approximately one in four doctors practicing in the U.S. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid spends $12-14 billion a year on graduate medical education, and about a quarter of those currently in a residency or training program in the U.S. makes a large investment in these doctors. medical residency training program, which lasts from three to seven years depending on the specialty. Approximately half of all alien physicians who apply are accepted into a U.S. after graduating from medical schools outside of the U.S. The term “ alien physicians” refers to foreign nationals who complete their graduate medical education or medical residency in the U.S. And they need more than just our gratitude. Most Americans do not realize that many of these heroes were not born here. They are rightfully heralded as “ heroes.” The doctors in vanguard of our COVID-19 warzones are performing a great service for our country, putting in long and dangerous hours as the first line of defense against the pandemic, often with inadequate protective equipment. The most irreplaceable of these are our health care workers. ![]() The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an enormous toll on health care resources in our country.
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