Hundreds of hospitals nationwide are closely monitoring visa delays and travel restrictions enacted by the Trump administration, which have disrupted the onboarding process for thousands of international medical school graduates scheduled to begin residency programs July 1, The New York Times reported.
Five things to know:
1. The White House has banned or limited travel from 19 countries and, on May 27, paused visa interviews for international students to implement enhanced social media vetting. A State Department official told the Times that the pause was lifted June 18, though it remains unclear how many physicians will receive visas in time to begin training.
2. Of the 6,653 international physicians accepted into U.S. residency programs this year, an estimated 1,000 have not yet secured visas. These delays could leave some hospitals — particularly safety nets in low-income communities — short-staffed after senior residents leave in June.
“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,” Kimberly Pierce Burke, executive director of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers, told the Times. “If they don’t come on July 1, that leaves a hole in the patient care team … Who’s going to pick up the slack?”
3. At Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in New York City, about 90% of its 55 internal medicine residency positions are filled by international medical graduates. So far, two incoming residents have been blocked from entering the U.S., according to program director Conrad Fischer, MD. Dr. Fischer warned that if travel restrictions persist, the program’s long-term viability could be at risk.
“If I am missing two or three people, I can go out and get the spots filled,” he told the Times. “But next year, we’re not talking about missing two or three — we’re talking about missing thousands.”
4. Some hospitals may attempt to fill open spots with backup candidates, but this option is generally only available to institutions that hire residents directly. Others must request waivers to release matched residents and fill positions, a process that can be administratively complex and time-sensitive.
5. Foreign-trained physicians make up roughly 1 in 6 medical residents and fellows at U.S. teaching hospitals, according to the report.
