Opening Doors to International Medical Graduates : A Solution to the Doctor Shortage
Dr. Michael Everest is a pioneering figure in medical education and the visionary Founder and Chief Academic Officer of Residents Medical, a Los Angeles-based institution.
There are not enough physicians in the United States. If you live here, there’s roughly a one in three chance that you’re experiencing it, as close to a hundred million people live in areas that The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration designates as ‘Health Professionals Shortage Area’ for their primary care. It takes, on average, 26 days to schedule a physician appointment for a new patient, Merrit Hawkins found. By 2034, we might have a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians, said an Association of American Medical Colleges report.
It’s impossible to point out a single culprit or reason as to why we’re at this point. The problem is complex, and many factors lead to it. We have more patients than ever due to a growing population. People living longer means the population is also aging, and that’s a factor too. The doctors we have working at the moment are also aging, and we’re bound to see more of them retire soon.
The list goes on. For some fields of medicine, such as primary care, the issue might be the need for more interest. For others, it might be a lack of slots available at residency programs in the U.S. hasn’t been growing in line with the need for more doctors. Training a doctor is a lengthy and expensive process that might turn some people off the career path.
Because the problem is so complex, many different attack vectors exist. Some organizations, even startups, are finding new ways to manage our resources more efficiently, often through the latest tech advancements. On the other hand, legislators are pushing for more residency positions in a bipartisan effort.
One of the most effective and necessary ways to address a shortage in any workforce is to import it, something that countries around the world, including the U.S., have been doing for ages. One in five doctors working in this country is a non-U.S. IMG or a non-U.S. international medical graduate. Without them, the doctor shortage crisis would be even worse. If we want to ensure we don’t run out of doctors in the next few decades, we’ll need all the help we can get.
However, IMG as the acronym goes, faces many difficulties and red tape before they can practice in the United States. It’s not just their visa or immigration status — securing a residency can also be an issue for them. The 2023 Match data shows that 59.4% of non-U.S. IMG applicants are matched to a residency program. The ratio was 67.6% for U.S. IMG or United States citizens who graduated abroad. The match rate for active applicants to year-one residency positions was 81.1%. For U.S. medical school graduates, the percentage was 93.7% for MD seniors and 91.6 for DO seniors.
The discrepancy can’t be boiled down to foreign medical schools providing substandard education because that’s untrue. Even though American universities traditionally rank the highest in the field, there are plenty of places outside of the U.S. that create qualified physicians.
At Residents Medical, we found that offering thorough medical residency placement services was an effective way to level the playing field. It gave us a 97% success rate, placing more than a thousand candidates into residencies and fellowships.
The key to this success was in developing sets of services for every step of the graduates’ journey. As an education organization we offer courses in billing codes and partner with such powerhouses as AHIMA and CITI, the same organizations that medical schools such as Yale and Harvard partner with. RM, arranges externships, provides 1-on-1 USMLE tutoring, and provides a CITI research certification course as part of the educational program. We provide ERAS application and interview preparation, and speech pathology classes to help applicants speak confidently. We offer 100% hands-on in-patient rotations, research-to-residency, and clinical-to-residency pathways for the placement phase.
Because every graduate is different, with a unique background, aspirations, and circumstances, our medical residency experts can create a package of services that address their exact needs and ensure the best possible results. To make the curricula as available and interactive as possible, Residents Medical relies on edYOU, an innovative learning platform that leverages AI to create a more nurturing learning environment.
Being nurturing and empathetic is another important piece of helping students from abroad succeed in the United States to help us resolve our doctor shortage. I started assisting medical graduates in securing residencies two decades ago because I saw how international students of different races received different treatments. But even if they didn’t, the fact that they lacked the domestic students’ support system meant that they had a tougher starting point in the competition.
That’s what Residents Medical was built to be — an education organization that steps in and provides the support and mentorships international medical graduates need and deserve. We do it with empathy, and we do it with understanding. It makes all the difference when these young people start losing hope, buckling in uncertainty, or even facing medical issues of their own.
To be there for them through thick and thin, like doctors are for their patients, is a privilege. It’s a privilege to live in a country that attracts many talented and hopeful people worldwide, too. Hopefully, the legislators will understand that and create an easier pathway for people to stay here after residency. We are tackling the doctor shortage one successful residency and fellowship placement success at a time.
About the Author:
Dr. Michael Everest is a pioneering figure in medical education and the visionary Founder and Chief Academic Officer of Residents Medical, a Los Angeles-based institution dedicated to guiding medical and graduate students toward their ideal residency or fellowship placements. With a passion for revolutionizing the residency process through improvements and equality, Dr. Everest’s expertise and profound understanding of the medical education system has empowered countless students to achieve their professional dreams and excel in their chosen specialties. Additionally, he has introduced edYOU, a cutting-edge “safe-AI platform” for educational purposes, further solidifying his commitment to advancing education and personalized student support into the AI and digital age.
