State Can Permit Foreign Med Schools to Train in Texas
Update, Nov. 20, 5 p.m.:
The Texas attorney general's office has ruled that no laws prevent the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from allowing foreign medical schools to send students to complete their training in Texas hospitals.
"In sum, nothing in the statute indicates that foreign schools are excluded from consideration," the ruling notes. "By the same token, nothing indicates the board must include them, either."
Last spring, the coordinating board's commissioner, Raymund Paredes, recommended that the board approve the American University of the Caribbean's request to allow its students — and in particular those from Texas ...
Comments (12)
Carolyn Moon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Makes me a little nervous
Bill Eaves via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Don't let them train on Americans!!
Sue Rudd Bailey via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The Coordinating Board just issued a wonderful report on how we don't have enough residency training slots for the Texas med students we have now. This plan will make this mismatch worse.
Aaron De Witt
You should have a good idea as to the demographics of these students before you pass judgement. Nearly all of the students that attend AUC are American (there are some Canadian). The majority of the teaching staff at AUC is American. Just like US medical students, students from AUC must take and pass the USMLE STEP 1 licencing exam before they are allowed to enter their clinical clerkship. The pass rates of AUC are on par with the national average of U.S. based schools. There are a great deal of students from Texas who attend AUC, and would like to return to Texas. If the state of Texas and the Higher Education Board decide not to allow AUC students to rotate, the state will lose these students to other states. New York, California, Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, and Connecticut are already allowing AUC students to rotate.
Aaron De Witt via Texas Tribune on Facebook
You should have a good idea as to the demographics of these students before you pass judgement. Nearly all of the students that attend AUC are American (there are some Canadian). The majority of the teaching staff at AUC is also American. Similarly to US medical students, students from AUC must take and pass the USMLE STEP 1 licencing exam before they are allowed to enter their clinical clerkship. The pass rates of AUC are on par with the national average of U.S. based schools. There are a great deal of students from Texas who attend AUC, and would like to return to Texas. If the state of Texas and the Higher Education Board decide not to allow AUC students to rotate, the state will lose these students to other states. New York, California, Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, and Connecticut are already allowing AUC students to rotate.
Blitz Carthey via Texas Tribune on Facebook
what Aaron De Witt is true and well-said.
@carolyn moon: why are you nervous? maybe i can answer any questions you might have.
@bill eaves: we are texans wanting to come home. some born and bred, others who became residents by choice. so before you make another ill-formed statement, please learn your facts.
@sue rudd bailey: the board didn't issue that report, Dr. Cynthia Jumper did who was representing the state medical schools and are actively trying to keep AUC out by issuing false statements.
David Spratt
When it is someone Else's job they are valuable workers who can contribute , expand the economy and pay taxes,,, When it is your job or profession being invaded the story changes. You would think the liberal educators would welcome the influx of perceived immigrants and all the diversity and benefits they would bring. Same old story,,,,,,, as long as it does not affect you , opening the door for someone else is just fine . They may well be mostly Americans ,, but the hypocrisy on the part of the schools is the same. They see $ being siphoned off and they do not like it.
Sanjeev Patel
I do have a biased interest in posting this comment and I don’t deny it. However, since I am a proud father of a future Doctor, an American Citizen and particularly a BORN TEXAN and it is extremely disappointing to have her being referred to and labeled as a ' foreign medical student '. In a misguided effort by the opposing board members to be seen as protecting the turf by systematically employing various spin or delay tactics, to block the proposal and not allowing the clinical clerkship opportunity to equally qualified future Doctors (who upon completing the training and becoming the Doctors, statistically are more inclined to provide much needed medical care in rural areas) is appalling and un-American. I firmly believe that all mighty God has created all of his children as equals – but all opposing board members should also be aware of the proven fact that, all of the Caribbean medical schools are not equal and that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized and backed with full funding only three to be equivalent to the U.S medical schools and AUC is one of the three. The notion that these future Doctors are somehow less qualified is completely false and baseless because these students must take and pass the USMLE STEP 1 exam before they are ever allowed to enter the clinical clerkship, and the pass rates of AUC are on par with the national average of U.S. based schools. In an environment of ever increasing demand for qualified medical professionals, how is it even possible for the opposing board members to justify their opposition as wise or prudent, when their actions are proving that our great state of Texas synonymous with always being BIG in everything, in reality is too small, tiny and timid that it cannot accommodate merely twenty Texans with a desire to come home to serve Texans.
Samdavis
It's probably a good idea but we get nervous when Greg Abbott endorses anything. His track record hasn't been so good and as a matter of record has done more harm than good. Here's hoping he finally got one right.
gypsy314 ne
I do not want them treating me or mine. I wonder how many Americans will be left out of the chance because the space is gone to the foreign students filling the slots. I think Americans should have first choice and then foreign students.
David Spratt
I assume a Green Card will be stapled to their diploma?
With the tens of millions of people being added to the roles of having "Insurance" ,,, not to be confused with " Having access to medical care" ,, tens of thousands of Doctors and health care professionals will be needed.
The entire population has access to medical care,,, people do not die in the streets or at least I have not seen any laying around.
ObamaCare is the least well thought out ,, and will turn out to be the most expensive program ever designed and run by the Government ,, which runs nothing with any degree of efficiency. This consists of 1/4 or 1/5 of the GDP depending,,, and will only grow in size. it will dwarf medicare , Medicaid,social security at some point.
Nancy has been quoted many times saying " We have to pass it to find out what is in it." Find me one person who understands the entire law today.
It is still being written and is based entirely on figure it out as you go. As Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the welfare programs demonstrate ,,, not much accuracy was achieved when projecting out the costs, participation or the long term effects of any of these programs. Not knocking them,, just saying the planning of them and accurate predictions of their future status was not well thought out.
Doctor shortages are projected into the tens of thousands over the next decade,,, as high as 90,000? Not many Americans will go into the profession understanding the costs,, and risk vs reward aspects of obtaining a medical degree. Law suits and overall legal costs,, paperwork, labor costs, overall overhead, and reduced payments, already apparent in the " cost savings' of the 718 billion Obama Found in Medicare will not induce many people understanding the system to become Doctors.
I just would advise that Rashid , Ahmed, and Rafael bring their own beads , rattles and chickens feet. They will save the surcharge medical device tax that way. That was a joke ,,, the rest is not.
Chris Long
Some of the comments are so.... misinformed, that it's almost sickening. The vast majority of medical students don't have healthcare experience when they enter medical school, regardless of where they go. 3rd and 4th year medical students don't perform surgery or risky procedures. They follow doctors and are allowed some hands-on work when permitted and under EXTREME supervision. You're an idiot if you think some med student is going to perform open-heart surgery and kill your grandma.
And American University of the Caribbean has proposed a cap on the number of students that rotate!! You think 20 (or even 50) extra students is going to wreck the educational experience for the 2,000+ Texas med school's students that are doing rotations as we speak? No. This could only help the population of Texas. If everyone has insurance, the wait time in the ER, urgent care clinics, and to see your PCP will sky-rocket. Having an increase in the number of primary care physicians would help, at least some.
In case you're wondering at this point, I've served Texas as a firefighter/EMT for 6 years and as a nurse for 2 years. And you probably guessed what's next... I've been accepted to American University of the Caribbean, and I'm extremely proud of that. You (the citizens of this great state where I was born and raised) have trusted me with the lives of you and your loved ones for nearly a decade... Why wouldn't you jump at the chance to have this Texan back in his home state, dedicating his life to helping and healing his fellow Texans?
The right choice would be to allow Texas students, that are at a fully accredited medical school (like American University of the Caribbean), to come home for their clinical rotations so we can earn a residency here, and hopefully practice here until we're old and grey (or broke due to decreased reimbursements). American University of the Caribbean takes all the exact same USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exams) Steps to become licensed physicians... They've earned their title. Now let them help you.