Ohio healthcare shortages cannot be ignored.

Current statistics report that by 2025, Ohio will be short of 1,200 primary care physicians, 70% of nurses are seriously considering leaving the profession, and the United States is expected to have a deficit of 139,000 physicians by 2023.

With approximately 102 million people living in a primary care health provider shortage area (HPSA), 167 million people living in a mental health HPSA, and 77 million people living in a dental health HPSA, this local problem is reflected by ongoing workforce shortages across the nation, spelling bad news for Ohio if a solution is not found quickly.

Counties across Ohio are impacted, with a lack of workers increasing consumer health costs, decreasing the quantity of care, and making care less accessible. During the pandemic, when the healthcare workforce shortage became especially apparent, hospitals and clinics resorted to calling physicians out of retirement, waiving out-of-state practice requirements, and expanding the capabilities of many practices. However, these solutions are simply unsustainable for the long term.

International medical graduates, or IMGs, as well as international newcomers, are the key to fixing a Cleveland’s lack of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, EMTs, phlebotomists, pharmacists, dentists, nursing home staff, home care workers, dental hygienists, technicians, and mental health providers.

IMGs can hit the ground running, considering their previous training, rather than require local governments to allocate additional time and resources searching for new talent.

In addition, international newcomers who lack extensive career training and professional experience in the United States should be encouraged to pursue healthcare professions—careers with high demand and strong benefits—and barriers should be reduced for these individuals seeking training opportunities.

IMGs are already being utilized to fill gaps in the healthcare workforce, proving their clear competency in assuming these positions. The National Institute of Health found that IMGs constitute 25% of the current healthcare workforce in the United States. Between 2010 and 2021 the number of IMGs increased by 18%, while the number of U.S. medical graduates only increased by 15%. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, 18% of academic physicians are IMGs.

Despite their undeniable impact on the field, IMGs are unfortunately severely underutilized in the United States with current estimates stating that “brain waste” is impacting over 250,000 individuals, meaning refugees and immigrants are working jobs far below their skill level. It is further estimated that 225,000 doctors, nurses, and home health aides lack lawful immigration status and 190,000 individuals working in custodial and administrative healthcare roles lack lawful immigration status, meaning thousands of individuals within the field are at risk of deportation.

Policies reducing barriers to entry for these individuals are a necessity to ensure that workers providing necessary services to their local communities have proper paths to citizenship and long-term residency. With the Ohio healthcare shortage, ensuring that international medical graduates can work jobs indicative of their training and professional success is essential.

A recent summary published by the Economic Innovation Group shares that 75% of American voters support increasing immigration levels for the benefit of highly skilled innovation. With 71% of Trump voters and 86% of Biden voters in support, this issue is inarguably bipartisan.

Further, reducing the barriers to education for short-term training positions within the health workforce (phlebotomy, emergency health services, technician work, home care aids, custodial work, etc.) will allow international newcomers to attain much-needed jobs with strong benefits, opportunities for career growth, and the ability to support their families. The United States, particularly Ohio, must pull from a large employee market to fill these positions, and with fewer and fewer natural-born citizens choosing this line of work, international individuals must be considered in the healthcare professional applicant pool.

International newcomers want the ability to work and study within the United States and are both capable and willing to fill these positions when given the chance. Funding education programs at local community colleges that push these certifications, offering services to help international newcomers navigate the bureaucracy of applying for these positions, and educating healthcare providers on the importance of hiring international talent is imperative.

If the Ohio healthcare shortage remains unaddressed, disastrous effects will ripple across Northeast Ohio and the greater Cleveland area in the near future. Thousands of Ohioans are already suffering from acute workforce shortages within healthcare. Medical professionals across Northeast Ohio continue to provide quality care, but growing gaps in the workforce impact their ability to perform their jobs to the highest extent, due to an overburdened system that needs more labor.

The solution is here: public health workforce policy that provides provisional licensure to international medical graduates and increased opportunities for training within the job market.