US Immigrant initiative for tapping potential of foreign-trained physicians

United States, 27th July: An immigrant initiative aimed at aiding foreign-trained health professionals practice their chosen field in the US is providing positive results for overcoming existing shortage.

Obstacles for foreign-trained professionals in getting US medical license -- As a rule, before beginning to practice medicine in the US, a foreign-trained medical professional must clear the US Medical Licensing Exam along with completion of residency training in the US.

However, foreign health professionals consider this requirement as a major obstacle for getting US medical license. Hence, they are left with no other alternative but to undertake menial or low paying jobs in the US far below their educational qualifications.

Consider, for instance, the case of Dr. Maria Angelica Montenegro, an immigrant and a qualified physician from Columbia, who after immigrating to the US in 2004 found the process of getting medical license in the US as almost impossible.

She is among several foreign- trained health professionals awaiting opportunity to work as medical practitioners in the US. It is not surprising to see foreigners with medical degrees either remaining unemployed for long periods of time or working as restaurant workers, delivery people, cab drivers, nanny caregivers or even selling sunglasses in US.

Welcome Back Initiative- the route to US medical license—Welcome Back Initiative in the US aims to enable foreign-trained physicians get required credentials for working as physicians here.

Thanks to the Welcome Back Initiative, many foreign-trained physicians are getting the right to practice as medical professionals in the US.

Help is offered in different ways by Welcome Back centers to immigrants with foreign-medical degrees, states director of the Rhode Island Welcome Back Center in Providence, Manuela Raposo.

The director further informs that foreign-trained health professionals are offered classes in English language, help in the procedure for seeking medical license, study materials as well as financial assistance.

Moreover, participants are offered opportunities of gaining work-experience in US medical care system by volunteering at hospitals and local medical clinics.

Initiative helps in tapping potential of international medical professionals in US—By enabling international health professionals get US medical license, the initiative-Welcome Back program- helps in tapping the vast potential of such medical graduates in the US, states director of communications with MPI(Migration Policy Institute), Michele Mittelstadt.

This results in extending medical care access to underserved regions in the US along with improving the diversity of health care workers, she adds.