Teaching hospitals are run on the backs of resident physicians.

In June, thousands of physicians will graduate from residency, vacating their positions at teaching hospitals. The idea is that incoming interns (first year doctors in training) will take their place.

According to https://j1visa.state.gov/covid-19/ (accessed at 11:02pm on 03/25/20), "On March 20, 2020, U.S. embassies and consulates suspended all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services." Why is this important? According to the National Residency Match Program, 34,266 doctors are poised to start residency on July 1st. According to the Educational Commission For Foreign Medical Graduates, at least 4,200 of these doctors trained in other countries (many of whom live abroad). If the State Department does not issue visas to these international medical graduates by July 1st, teaching hospitals could potentially be deprived of more than 4,000 new doctors.

Teaching hospitals are already stretched to the breaking point responding to the COVID-19 crisis. And that's with all residency spots filled (including doctors finishing up their final year of training). Now imagine a sudden shortage of thousands of doctors in the middle of the worst pandemic of our lifetime.

Imagine what that could mean for your loved one infected with COVID-19.

Each year, thousands of doctors in the United States who have graduated from American and international medical schools and passed their licensing examinations fail to secure a spot in residency. I was one of them in 2017. We end up taking other jobs that make no use of our medical training, since we cannot practice clinical medicine outside of a residency training program. Our skills are wasted.

These are thousands of physicians who could fill the gap in July, if disaster strikes.

We need all available trained, capable doctors on board to get us through this crisis. I believe that it is time to urge the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the National Resident Matching Program to take action before it's too late. Residency positions are funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, so in order for this to happen, things need to be quickly escalated to a Federal Government level within a matter of months. Options to think about include filling the 4,200 spots with American medical graduates as well as increasing the available residency training spots in teaching hospitals if IMGs (international medical graduates) do end up being able to start in July. Government interest in increasing available residency training positions is nothing new. In fact, in February 6th, 2019 Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) reintroduced the “Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019,” legislation aimed at addressing the looming physician shortage by increasing the number of Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) positions; unfortunately, it has stalled in the House since March of 2019.

I sincerely hope that I am overthinking things, but I feel that people need to know about this.

If you agree, please consider signing and sharing this petition with as many people as possible.