Medical school is hard, expensive, and limited spots exist. This restricts the number of physicians leaving medical school and returning to rural communities, writes Dr. Shahryar Rana, a pediatric neurology resident.The U.S. needs more doctors, and there is no getting around the fact that we are going to need many of them to be immigrants.However, we have not seen a corresponding increase in the number of physicians to meet the needs of a growing American population.
I am no different in that respect. I have come to love the community here in Dallas, and as a pediatrics trainee, I have helped teach kids here how to eat healthfully as well as participated in Dallas City Hall meetings to help understand and shape policy.Canada, by comparison, is much savvier about meeting its population’s needs with immigrants. Their immigration system attracts highly trained professionals in the U.S. who do not have a realistic pathway to permanent residence here.