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Idaho is giving international doctors a chance to practice medicine here

Alex Proimos
/
Flickr

A new Idaho law is giving doctors who earned their medical degrees abroad a chance to practice permanently in the U.S.

To qualify, physicians must have gotten a similar education to one they’d get in the U.S., have practiced for at least three years in another country and be fluent in English.

They will also need a clinic or hospital to sponsor them and a physician to supervise them during the temporary license’s three-year term.

“Idaho is very low ranked in the number of physicians per capita and so House Bill 542 provides another potential tool to fill some of those holes,” said sponsoring state Rep. Josh Wheeler (R-Wheeler).

Idaho, in fact, ranks dead last among states in physicians per capita according to the American Medical Association.

As of 2023, Idaho had just 193 physicians per 100,000 residents compared to 302 physicians per capita nationwide.

State lawmakers have explored different options to boost these numbers throughout the years, including reserving 40 placements for Idaho residents in the WWAMI program.

WWAMI, an acronym encompassing the names of participating western states, allows medical students to complete all four years of their education in their home states through a partnership between University of Washington School of Medicine and University of Idaho.

Wheeler said this new law won’t double dip into that pool.

“It doesn’t take some of our precious residency spaces right now and it also attracts physicians who have a high degree of training and practice,” he said.

The bill cleared the Idaho legislature overwhelmingly last session. It officially takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Copyright 2024 Boise State Public Radio

I cover politics and a bit of everything else for Boise State Public Radio. Outside of public meetings, you can find me fly fishing, making cool things out of leather or watching the Seattle Mariners' latest rebuilding season.

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