Many come to the U.S. to attend Ivy League schools or practice in big cities on either coast, according to a Nov. 23 Mercy news release. Physicians often agree to practice for a few years in rural communities as part of their requirement to obtain citizenship.
“I was supposed to stay here three years, and then I could go anywhere, but I chose to stay,” Dr. Michael Miranda, a native of the Philippines and a Mercy Clinic physician in Booneville, Arkansas, said in the release. “The plan was always to seek out a place more like home, but this has become home. We were foreigners, and now we’re part of this community.”
Dr. Miranda is not the only one.
“Right from day one, I never felt alienated here,” Dr. Syed Hamid said. “At Harvard, when my colleagues found out I was moving to Arkansas to practice, they were shocked. But I have only experienced wonderful people here in Arkansas. This is my home. This is where I have raised my family. This is where I choose to practice medicine. It’s the family-oriented atmosphere and the acceptance from the community that made me decide to stay all those years ago.”
