The Undocumented Path To Practicing Medicine
What’s medical school like for illegal alien students?
Home to the largest “Sanctuary City” in America, Los Angeles County hosts at least 815,000 undocumented residents as of 2013. While obtaining medical benefits is already a challenge for undocumented people, practicing medicine as a licensed doctor presents an even greater challenge. In this blog, Dress A Med explores the roadblocks these bold doctors must traverse, beyond the already difficult path of learning and practicing medicine.
Undocumented Benefits (or Lack Thereof)
The first great hurdle undocumented doctors must cross is a systemic one; federal law already makes it challenging for undocumented residents to see a doctor in the first place, much less become one. Per Healthcare.gov, “Undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible to buy Marketplace health coverage. Or for premium tax credits and other savings on Marketplace plans.” Most states comply with these laws, though some areas expand coverage to conditionally apply to immigrants.
Los Angeles County is one such area, with the My Health LA program. This program is designed to provide primary-care benefits for residents not eligible for state-level Medi-Cal coverage. Most residents covered by this program are undocumented immigrants. Los Angeles is a prime area for undocumented residents to both receive and provide healthcare.
Entering and Completing Medical School
In order to pursue medical school, most undocumented candidates must be subject to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This allows people who entered the United States as children to live, study, and work in the U.S on 2-year renewable visas. Without DACA, the path to medical school for an undocumented student is essentially identical to that of an international student. The circumstances combined make creating both a truthful and successful application a formidable task.
Both USC’s and UCLA’s Med programs accept international students, and don’t differentiate between DACA eligible students and international applicants. UCLA in particular has voiced support for enrolling DACA students; “The David Geffen School of Medicine fully supports the DREAM Act and the goals of qualified undocumented immigrants who seek a medical education,” says Dr. Clarence Braddock, vice dean at the school.
However, despite the affirming stance taken publically, UCLA only enrolled DACA students in 2014. This reflects the other reality of medical school; its staggering expense, both financially and mentally. For undocumented residents, both are often day-to-day struggles even before introducing a mammoth ordeal such as medical school.
Obtaining State Licenses
For the truly dauntless among undocumented residents, who are admitted to, survive, and complete medical school and their clinical rotations, one last hurdle presents itself. Fresh out of medical school, a doctor must obtain a state professional license in order to get work. Laws affecting the ability for undocumented immigrants to get professional licenses of any sort extend to medical licenses as well.
The list of states that expressly allow immigrants to gain and practice professional licenses is very short. On it are Illinois, Florida, Nebraska, New York, and California. California’s Business and Professional Code in particular is quite welcoming in recent years; applicants can provide Individual Tax ID Numbers instead of Social Security numbers, and cannot be denied based on immigration status. Attempts to gain medical licensing in any other state largely meet with failure, pending further revisions to state law.
Ready, Willing, But Unable
This arduous route to medical practice comes at a time where there is a shortfall of primary care physicians in the US. Yet there is an abundance of inspired and talented students, many of whom feel a duty to serve low-income communities, whose paths are barred by their undocumented status and local laws. For us at Dress A Med, the solution seems quite clear!
The #MakeHealthPrimary Journal is a Dress A Med publication.
