The U.S. faces a critical physician shortage projected to reach 86,000 by 2036, hitting smaller and already underserved communities hardest. To address this crisis, 20 states have enacted alternative pathways to practice for internationally trained physicians who already live in American communities.
New research from the Council of State Governments and World Education Services examined policies and policy implementation in seven states with these pathways, uncovering both promising practices and significant implementation gaps particularly around impact assessment. Washington state was the exception. The state's comprehensive tracking revealed 73% of temporarily licensed internationally trained physicians work in underserved areas, primarily in high-need specialties like family medicine.
However, most states do not have the data collection infrastructure to disaggregate licenses granted through different pathways to licensure. They lack the basic data systems to track how many physicians they've licensed, where they practice, or their community impact. This data gap undermines policymakers' ability to demonstrate program value to constituents, to secure continued support, or to inform future policy.
Download the full report to discover our recommendations for building effective tracking systems to ensure these life-saving pathways achieve their full potential.
