US medical residency programs might be less inclined to select international medical graduates due to visa requirements, quotas, and the dual-rank systems present in some programs that favor American MDs.
US medical residency programs might be less inclined to select international medical graduates due to visa requirements, quotas, and the dual-rank systems present in some programs that favor American MDs.
International medical graduates face visa issues that hinder radiology programs from enrolling students from outside the United States, according to a study published in Academic Radiology.
The recent study reveals that radiology training programs face challenges in issuing J-1 and H-1B visas to students. About 24 percent were reported not offering J-1 visas while 70 percent did not offer H-1B visas.
Survey data from 121 United States diagnostic radiology residency program directors shows that the process of offering visas to international graduates is hindered by the cost, unfamiliarity with the process, regulations from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, and strenuous paperwork procedure.
Johns Hopkins researchers led by David M. Yousem, M.D., MBA, identified a potential bias that International Medical Graduates face when applying for residency programs. The findings, published in a new paper suggest that IMGs could be at a disadvantage due to the complexities they encounter in the application process.
While the Electronic Residency Application Service is universally utilized for all applicants to US-based residency programs, the paths of these applicants can significantly diverge due to potential bias against IMGs in the selection process. This bias can manifest in various ways, according to the research team.
US medical residency programs might be less inclined to select international medical graduates due to visa requirements, quotas, and the dual-rank systems present in some programs that favor American MDs.
According to the study, Radiology IMG residents, predominantly from India and the Middle East, tend to perform similarly to US graduates once enrolled. However, obtaining visas for them entails intricate bureaucratic, financial, and time-consuming hurdles.
The authors suggest that simplifying the USCIS processes for obtaining Employment Authorization Documents and green cards for medical graduates could help mitigate the challenges faced by international radiology professionals, simultaneously benefiting radiology programs.
Potential benefits to the programs could arise from shifting application expenses to trainees, streamlining document review by having necessary forms completed before residency, screening for high-quality candidates via the immigration system, and providing a pathway to citizenship prior to the start of residency—thereby facilitating transitions into post-education employment.
