AMA decries effect of Trump's travel ban on international medical graduates who treat underserved
Organization said that many communities, particularly in rural or low-income areas, rely on international medical graduates to fill job openings.
The American Medical Association is urging clarity on President Donald Trump's executive order preventing travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, the group said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Specifically, the AMA is concerned that the travel restrictions will hurt the upcoming residency matching program, which is slated for March. Aspiring physicians looking to be paired up with hospitals or health systems for their residencies rely on the matching program to find placement; likewise, many U.S. institutions actively seek appropriate matches for their residency programs.
Many of those looking for placement are from overseas, andTrump's 90-day ban overlaps with the residency matching program. Travelers from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen are currently barred from entry into the country.
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"The AMA is concerned that this executive order is negatively impacting patient access to care and creating unintended consequences for our nation's healthcare system," the AMA wrote. "Specifically, there are reports indicating that this executive order is affecting both current and future physicians as well as medical students and residents who are providing much-needed care to some of our most vulnerable patients."
The organization said that many communities, particularly in rural or low-income areas, rely on international medical graduates to fill job openings at their hospitals. One out of every four physicians practicing in the United States is an international medical graduate, the group said.
"They are more likely to practice in underserved and poor communities, and to fill training positions in primary care and other specialties that face significant workforce shortages," the AMA wrote. "The executive order places into question those international medical graduates who have applied for or who have been granted visas to come to the United States to train and provide care in underserved communities."
The AMA urged the administration to provide details and mitigate any negative impact on the nation's healthcare system.
Earlier this week, Andrew Yacht, MD, chief academic officer at New York-based Northwell Health, said he knew of at least one woman who had been training in the United States since June but was just sent back to her home country, unable to complete her first year of training due to the ban.
"Many of our hospitals in rural and even urban areas could not function without international medical graduates," he said. "There's naturally a great deal of trepidation about how they're going to serve the needs of their patients."
Twitter: @JELagasse
