Woonsocket Radio News Room

Solomon bill would pave way for foreign-trained doctors to practice medicine in Rhode Island

STATE HOUSE — As the shortage of primary care physicians in Rhode Island reaches fever pitch, Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. has introduced legislation that would help internationally trained physicians acquire medical licenses by eliminating barriers such as repeating residency programs.

The bill (2025-H 5108) would allow internationally trained physicians to practice at health care facilities in rural and underserved communities and would provide a mentorship alternative to the residency requirement. It would also create pathways to licensure and allow them to apply for a full, unrestricted license to practice medicine.

“Many talented foreign physicians face an assortment of bureaucratic hurdles in practicing medicine in America, including having to repeat residency, costly licensure requirements, and increasing restrictions,” said Representative Solomon (D-Dist. 22, Warwick). “As the physician shortage worsens, we need to tap into this skilled pool of professionals to strengthen our medical community with multilingual, culturally competent physicians — especially in underserved communities.”

The legislation is modeled on the Physician Pathway Act, which was enacted last year in Massachusetts after a statewide task forced determined that more than one in five foreign-trained health care professionals in the commonwealth were unemployed or working in low wage, low-skilled jobs.

Under the legislation, an internationally-trained physician would be defined as “a physician who has received a degree of doctor of medicine or its equivalent from a legally chartered medical school outside the United States recognized by the World Health Organization, who has been licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine in a country other than the United States, and who has practiced medicine for at least one year.”

Such physicians would be eligible to apply for a limited license to practice medicine for a renewable one-year term after satisfying several criteria. After a minimum of two years of restricted practice, the internationally trained physician would be eligible to apply for a full, unrestricted license to practice medicine.

“The extreme caution that was built into the law when it comes to foreign-trained physicians comes from a time when it was assumed that any doctor from another country was far less competent than their American counterparts,” said Representative Solomon. “But the process makes no distinction when it comes to expertise and experience. If these physicians have the necessary qualifications, then they should be able to practice once they have undergone a thorough and vetted licensure process.”