The Health Equity Summit is a collaborative space for health care professionals, community leaders, researchers, advocates and change-makers to come together in pursuit of a more just and equitable future. This Summit is built to spark bold conversations, uplift underrepresented voices and drive actionable strategies that transform how we understand and achieve health equity across our communities.
Our workshop: Bridging the Gap: Integrating Internationally Trained Medical Professionals into Vermont’s Healthcare Workforce
Presenters: Diana Wahle & Ruth Steinmetz
Vermont is facing a critical shortage of primary care physicians—between 2012 and 2022, the state lost 59 full-time equivalent primary care physicians, nearly a 13% reduction. Additionally, 27% of our remaining PCPs are over age 60, signaling further impending losses. At the same time, there is a largely untapped pool of skilled international medical professionals living in Vermont. These individuals bring extensive training and experience from their home countries but face major barriers to practicing medicine or related fields in the U.S.
Our workshop addresses this pressing disconnect. International medical graduates (IMGs) in Vermont are often underemployed, facing structural, linguistic, cultural, and economic barriers that prevent them from contributing meaningfully to the healthcare system. The current licensure pathway is convoluted and, for many, nearly impossible to navigate without targeted support.
In 2020, we formed the Windham County NAACP Health Justice Committee to confront these challenges and advocate for systemic change. In this session, we will share our policy advocacy and community engagement strategies, including:
- Policy Innovation: We helped to create and are supporting the passage of S.142, a bill that would establish a Supervisory Model for alternative licensure of internationally trained physicians. If passed, Vermont would become the 13th state to offer such a pathway, allowing IMGs to practice under supervision in underserved areas on their way to becoming fully licensed.
- Infrastructure Development: We advocate for the creation of a Vermont Office of New Americans, tasked with tracking, supporting, and integrating foreign-trained professionals into Vermont’s workforce. Act 029, recently enacted, has laid the groundwork by establishing a study committee.
- Language & Integration Support: We propose enhanced medical English training, peer mentorship, and study groups to prepare for U.S. medical exams (USMLE). We are also exploring alternative English assessments tailored to healthcare contexts and proposing a healthcare workforce fund to cover exam and training costs.
- Alternative Career Pathways: For those who may not pursue full physician licensure, we champion pathways into public health, research, health IT, insurance review, and allied health professions. We also recommend a review of Vermont’s regulatory structure and licensing options. We are urging UVM and the Vermont State College System to provide higher education career counselling for IMGs, recognize international degrees through credit equivalencies and tailored certificate programs.
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