DOES THE US LET FOREIGN DOCTORS PRACTICE WITHOUT RESIDENCY TRAINING? WHAT IS THE REALITY?
These past few days, scrolling through medical forums and social networks, I’ve seen many articles loudly sharing the information: “A series of US states have allowed doctors who graduated abroad to practice without having to do residency in the US.” It seems like the door to becoming a doctor in the US is more open than ever, completely eliminating the most fierce barrier called “Residency Match”. But is reality really that simple and rosy? The honest answer from the perspective of a doctor working in the US is: Yes. But it’s not enough. 1. Foreign doctors practice without residency training: Rumor or real opportunity? First of all, I would like to confirm that this is not fake news. In recent years, many US states have continuously passed new laws to create additional pathways (alternative pathways) for licensing to practice for foreign-trained doctors (IMGs). The core reason behind this change is
