Latest news with #AllianceofIndependentAcademicMedicalCenters
Boston Globe
12 hours ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
Trump travel restrictions bar residents needed at US hospitals
'If international medical graduates can't start their medical residencies on time on July 1, the ramifications are so far-reaching that it is really unconscionable,' said Kimberly Pierce Burke, executive director of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers. Senior residents leave hospitals in June and go on to start their careers, she noted. Hospitals rely on new residents to replenish their ranks. 'If they don't come on July 1, that leaves a hole in the patient care team,' Burke said. 'Who's going to pick up the slack?' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On May 27, the Trump administration suspended new interview appointments for foreign nationals applying for J-1 visas. The visas, for participants in cultural or educational exchange programs, are used by most medical residents arriving from overseas. Advertisement On Wednesday, the State Department lifted the pause on visa appointments, according to an official who spoke anonymously to discuss an internal policy change. It was not immediately clear how many, or how quickly, physicians could be granted their visas. The process now includes 'enhanced social media vetting,' intended to ferret out potential security risks, the official said. The administration also has banned or restricted travel to the United States from 19 countries. The restrictions may be extended to an additional 36 countries, including many African nations, if they do not comply with U.S. demands regarding overstayed visas and security concerns. Advertisement The bans and restrictions were motivated by a commitment 'to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standard of national security and public safety through our visa process,' the State Department official said. Foreign doctors from countries covered by the bans and other restrictions could request a 'national interest exception,' according to the State Department. It was not immediately clear how that process would unfold. The American medical system relies heavily on physicians from other countries. One in five U.S. physicians was born and educated overseas, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. New doctors from other countries account for 1 in 6 medical residents and specializing fellows at U.S. teaching hospitals. In 2024, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates sponsored more than 15,500 doctors from more than 150 countries to fill residency or fellowship training spots at 770 hospitals. Related : Residents are new medical school graduates who complete their training by working for several years under the supervision of more experienced doctors, gaining experience and acquiring the skills needed for various specialties. They work up to 80 hours a week on average, earning relatively low salaries. Residents are the foot soldiers of hospitals, critical to their operations, said Dr. Douglas DeLong, a semiretired physician in upstate New York who has worked in academic training programs. 'If you're a patient in a hospital, the resident is the first doctor you see in the morning,' DeLong said. Many foreign medical residents stay and build their careers in the United States. Most go into primary care fields such as internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, areas of shortage that American medical graduates tend to avoid. Advertisement Many of the 6,653 noncitizen doctors accepted for residency positions in the United States this year had already secured visa appointments before May 27. Those from banned countries who are already in the country are able to remain. But an estimated 1,000 medical residents were not able to obtain visas allowing them to work in the United States. The vacancies will have disparate effects on hospitals, depending how heavily reliant they are on foreign medical talent. At Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, people queued up for emergency care Monday. The lobby thrummed with visitors clutching bouquets of roses, and patients nodded off on benches, waiting to be seen. Like many hospitals in underserved communities, Brookdale relies heavily on international medical graduates who are not U.S. citizens to staff the medical and pediatrics floors and outpatient clinics. 'It's a wait-and-watch situation,' Dr. Christos Paras, who oversees the residency program, said in an interview. 'We just don't know what the impact will be.' 'We have residents from literally all over the world,' he added. 'I am not exaggerating — every continent.' Brookdale's internal medicine residency program relies on foreign medical graduates to staff about 90% of its 55 positions. So far, two noncitizens have been blocked from entering the country, said Dr. Conrad Fischer, director of the program. 'If I am missing two or three people, I can go out and get the spots filled,' Fischer added. 'But next year, we're not talking about missing two or three — we're talking about missing thousands.' Advertisement If the travel restrictions are maintained, 'it would gut the program,' he said. Dr. Christos Paras, who oversees Brookdale's residency program, at the hospital on Monday. Paras said that Brookdale doesn't know "what the impact will be" on Trump's travel ban. NICOLE CRAINE/NYT Hospitals and clinics in rural areas of the country already struggle to recruit graduates of U.S. medical schools to their residency programs. They rely heavily on international graduates. New foreign doctors are not taking residency positions away from American medical school graduates. Just the opposite: This year, there were about 40,000 residency positions offered through the national match system, but only 28,000 graduates of U.S. medical schools. Foreign residents fill a crucial labor shortage. Hospitals are not allowed to overwork residents and may lose their accreditation as medical teaching institutions if they do. An insufficient number of residents could also cost them Medicare funds tied to graduate medical education. The noncitizen international medical graduates who make it to U.S. training programs are 'well-trained, well-qualified and motivated,' DeLong said. 'This is the new generation of physicians for Americans,' he added. 'These are the physicians who will take care of us as we age. They are the future of medicine.' This article originally appeared in .
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
Trump's visa restrictions keep foreign medical residents out of US hospitals
Hundreds of US hospitals that depend on foreign-trained doctors are facing urgent staffing challenges due to new travel and visa restrictions imposed by the Trump administration . These measures have delayed or blocked the entry of international medical graduates scheduled to begin residencies on July 1, as per a report by The New York Times. Foreign medical residents are a key part of the American healthcare system, especially in safety-net hospitals that serve low-income communities. Each July, hospitals rely on new residents to replace outgoing doctors. But this year, visa suspensions and new rules, including enhanced social media vetting and travel bans have left many hospitals in uncertainty. 'If international medical graduates can't start their medical residencies on time on July 1, the ramifications are so far-reaching that it is really unconscionable,' said Kimberly Pierce Burke of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers to the NYT. 'If they don't come, that leaves a hole in the patient care team.' Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo On May 27, the Trump administration suspended new interviews for J-1 visas, used by most international residents. The State Department lifted the pause on Wednesday, but it remains unclear how quickly appointments can resume. Meanwhile, foreign doctors from 19 restricted countries must now seek a 'national interest exception' to enter the US. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn is one of many institutions that depend heavily on noncitizen medical residents. 'We just don't know what the impact will be,' said Dr. Christos Paras, who oversees the residency program. Brookdale fills about 90% of its internal medicine slots with international graduates. Two residents have already been blocked from entering. Live Events MORE STORIES FOR YOU ✕ US Travel Ban: Trump plans new restrictions on 36 more countries in expanded crackdown Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, undeterred by protests « Back to recommendation stories I don't want to see these stories because They are not relevant to me They disrupt the reading flow Others SUBMIT 'If I am missing two or three people, I can go out and get the spots filled,' said Dr. Conrad Fischer, who directs the program. 'But next year, we're not talking about missing two or three- we're talking about missing thousands.' As per the NYT report, nationwide, more than 15,500 international doctors were matched to US residency programs in 2024. One in six residents in teaching hospitals is a foreign-trained doctor, often working long hours in primary care roles that US graduates tend to avoid. With about 40,000 residency slots but only 28,000 US medical graduates, foreign residents help fill a critical shortage. Hospitals that fail to meet training staff requirements risk losing Medicare funds and accreditation.
