Tennessee Opens The Door To International Physicians
A new Tennessee law that will become effective in July of this year is intended to alleviate the shortage of physicians in the state by easing the path to practice for international medical graduates (IMGs).
The law makes Tennessee the first state to allow IMGs who are licensed in another country to practice in the U.S. without having to complete a U.S.-based residency training program. All other states still require IMGs to finish a U.S. residency program before they can obtain a state medical license (this policy does not apply to physicians educated and trained in Canada, who are not considered IMGs.
IMGs, who account for approximately 25% of practicing physicians in the U.S., have been important to maintaining access to care in rural and other underserved areas for many years. Laws like the one passed by Tennessee could significantly reduce the barriers that have prevented more IMGs from practicing in underserved areas. However, what standards and requirements Tennessee will impose on IMGs who have not completed a U.S. residency program are still unclear.
In addition, the law does not include a provision for sponsoring visas, so IMGs who are not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents will need to go through the immigration process to obtain a visa, which can be a time-consuming endeavor.
The Tennessee law comes on the heels of the Physician Workforce Act passed in Alabama last year, a state in which almost every county is a federally designated underserved area, according to the Alabama Hospital Association.
The Alabama law accomplishes three things. First, it removes a testing requirement for out-of-state physicians seeking to work in Alabama. Second, it allows IMGs to apply for a license a year earlier, and third, it creates an apprenticeship program for medical residents who don’t match into a residency so they can begin training under a physician and apply their skills to patient care.
Though neither law is described as a cure-all for physician shortages in Tennessee and Alabama, both reduce previous barriers to practice facing IMGs and may result in better access to care for patients, while serving as a model for other states seeking to address the physician shortage problem.
