U.S. medical schools should enroll more international students

When the Trump administration put a pause on student visa interviews recently, it hit a perhaps surprising group: thousands of J-1 physician visa holders who are supposed to start residency on July 1. Now, they are unsure what their future will hold. The hospitals where they are supposed to work are scrambling, too.

The U.S. can’t afford to lose these doctors — the country is already running out of physicians.

Projections show that we will be short 124,000 physicians by 2027. In addition to the staffing strains on the existing health care workers, an aging workforce compounds the pressure. More than 30% of doctors are 60 or older, and as they reach retirement, their departures will further thin the ranks. At the same time, America’s population is aging, creating more older adults in need of medical care than ever before.

These long-term issues are compounding such that our leaders must respond with urgency to prevent total crisis. A strong, sovereign America needs a stable health care system that can support and serve its citizens. Congress must recognize and respond to the need by opening up new pathways for talented doctors to stay in our country.

But there’s a critical piece missing: Our pipeline for medical talent is merely a trickle. In 2023, only 287 international students enrolled in U.S. medical schools — just 1.25% of all students. That’s not because demand is lacking, but because the system makes it difficult for qualified applicants to access training here.

While our top medical schools attract global interest, only about one-third of U.S. medical schools even consider international applicants. Public universities rightly prioritize in-state students who they hope will stay and serve their area, which pushes international students to pricey private institutions, a barrier that prevents many strong candidates from even applying. 

Of course, American doctors and medical students should always be the top priority. But when public universities are unable to scale fast enough to meet demand, and hundreds of qualified candidates are willing to train and stay here, it makes no sense to turn them away. Fixing the shortage means expanding our talent pipeline — and that requires some flexibility in how we think about admissions and training, especially in a time of national need.

The U.S. has long benefited from attracting some of the world’s brightest medical minds. Currently, 20% of physicians practicing in America were born and trained internationally. They often come to the U.S. because of the opportunities our state-of-the-art facilities and institutes provide, such as cutting-edge research, elite medical education, and lucrative career paths. This has created a mutualistic relationship: International physicians use U.S. resources and opportunities, and American patients receive faster treatment by well-trained professionals. 

Many schools, like state schools, want to educate students who will stay in the U.S. and contribute to our health care system long term. But international student visas provide only a narrow, 60-day window within which students must find employment that will sponsor their continued stay. Otherwise, they must return to their home countries. This system removes qualified and eager medical professionals — who have already been trained by our universities — from the U.S. talent pool. The result is a narrow pipeline of new talent and an even narrower pool of educated professionals that enter the health care workforce.

Congress can help change this. By creating more flexible visa programs for international medical students to stay in America for work, lawmakers can unlock a powerful solution to our extreme physician shortage. They can open the door for understaffed hospitals to sponsor and train more international students who can help improve our quality of care. This wouldn’t just benefit students — it would empower our medical system to prepare the best possible physician workforce to meet America’s growing needs.

And that will make America stronger. Putting America first isn’t just about a single policy point; it’s creating an ecosystem where American citizens, interests, and innovation are championed. If we want to lead the way in health care, we need to train — and retain — top talent.

This isn’t a new idea, but it is good policy — and it aligns with the current administration’s priorities. President Trump himself has already expressed his support for efforts to grow the international talent pipeline. That said, it’s not a partisan topic, either. Having an adequate supply of quality health care professionals isn’t political, it’s practical. That’s why initiatives like the DOCTORS Act and the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act that clear pathways for international doctors to practice in America have already gained strong bipartisan support. Now, Congress must continue to work together to preserve American sovereignty by strengthening her health care system.

The physician shortage is already here. But what we do now determines how dire this issue will become. We cannot afford to keep overlooking talented, motivated students, and we cannot let July 1 come and go without having a plan in place for the thousands of new physicians currently in limbo. It’s time for Congress to create pathways for would-be doctors to learn in our schools and work in our hospitals. From primary care physicians to pediatricians to oncologists, we need our doctors in every stage of life. If they’re trained here, committed to staying here, and ready to serve our communities, we need to make room for them — no matter where they’re from.

Tom Price, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon who served as the 23rd secretary of Health and Human Services and served as a member of Congress representing Georgia from 2005-2017.