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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
09/19/2024 12:52 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20190&cosponId=30348
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House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: September 18, 2019 02:24 PM
From: Representative Aaron D. Kaufer
To: All House members
Subject: Update to International Medical Graduate Requirements
 
To increase the number of physicians available to treat patients in the Commonwealth, I plan to introduce legislation that seeks to modernize the process by which graduates of international medical schools become licensed.

Currently, graduates of U.S. and Canadian medical schools must successfully complete two years of training through an approved medical residency program in order to apply for a medical license in Pennsylvania. Yet, under existing requirements, International Medical Graduates must complete an additional year, for a total of three years of residency training, before they can apply for that same license.

As background, the differing residency requirements were initially created many years ago in response to concerns that International Medical Graduates faced less rigorous testing and training than students completing their medical education in the United States. In recent years, however, International Medical Graduates have been held to the same demanding educational standards as students attending U.S. medical schools.

Today, International Medical Graduates, just like American and Canadian students, must successfully pass the United States Medical Licensure Examinations (USMLE) Steps 1, 2, and 3, as well as a comprehensive English exam. International Medical Graduates must also receive an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification and complete a one-year training program – same as American and Canadian medical graduates.

I hope you will join me in supporting this proposal by signing on as a co-sponsor.

Pennsylvania Medical Society supports this effort and believes the existing requirements for International Medical Graduates is overly restrictive and creates unnecessary delays for qualified physicians wishing to begin treating patients.



Introduced as HB1947