re: US doctor residency programs are being taken over by foreign nationals

Medical student here, if I may add my input

From what I have heard, most programs that have most FMG residents are not good programs. Your top programs are going to be vast majority US citizens. FWIW

I work in healthcare. That chart is the least surprising thing I will see all day. Go to a VA hospital for shock.

In my country in Europe med schools are only 6 years with years 5 and 6 being already active riding as an employee on ambulances or working in the morgue or as a defacto physicians assistant. Premedi years learning organic chemistry are 4 wasted years imo. By year three a doctor in training will have set bones dine dozens of stitches. In America the are still doing the textbooks. Waste of time.

One year of med school in Polland or Hugary or a basic state or Slovakia costs about 11.000 euros so few docs start in debt.

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Four years of college, four years of Med School and four years of residency, making about $70,000 per year. That's twelve years out of high school. Most want to do four years and become a dentist.

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There are certainly easier paths to a good quality of life. I made about 50K a year for four years of post med school training. I lived within my means and was comfortable, albeit in low COL cities. Started and finished within the past decade.

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In my country in Europe med schools are only 6 years with years 5 and 6 being already active riding as an employee on ambulances or working in the morgue or as a defacto physicians assistant. Premedi years learning organic chemistry are 4 wasted years imo. By year three a doctor in training will have set bones dine dozens of stitches. In America the are still doing the textbooks. Waste of time.

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Different strokes for different folks. I appreciated college because it allowed me to explore other interests, meet people not in the medical bubble, and spend a year abroad in Europe. I could not have done this in the European model. Plus I think an extra two years of growth / maturity is probably a good idea for doctors, given the responsibilities entrusted to them by their patients. I’m sure there are pros to the six year system but on the back end the residencies are usually longer. Frankly, having experienced European medicine in multiple countries I was not impressed.

Also, the European residency system is kind of a mess. Imagine training eight or nine years (after med school) to be a fricking pediatrician. That’s just one of many reasons that England is hemorrhaging doctors to New Zealand and Australia.

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The biggest issue I have is that we have tons of Americans that would love to be a physician yet we have somehow have to go outside the country to fill these spots?

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how many of those Americans are qualified?

The IMGs (international medical graduates) are occupying a lot of the least desirable residency spots such as primary care.

I can’t name a single person in my class that went into primary care. It simply is not worth it. Hundreds of thousands in debt to make maybe 225k.

Most of the competitive specialties are filled with qualified residents (albeit there is going to be your nepotism DEI initiatives etc). Generally speaking your specialist should all be mostly American trained and competent. However book smart doesn’t always translate to the best hands, decision making etc.


I have a niece at LSU who is pre med. I have not said anything to discourage her but have bit my tongue. I will not be encouraging my son to go into medicine. It’s fricked. Run by major corporations and private equity. Reimbursement continues to fall and salaries have been stagnant for decades, and we are facing another CMS rate cut in 27. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze. CRNA is the best job in medicine

Kinda hard to get a young American doctor to go to a hospital in Oakdale, Ferriday, Mamou or any of the small rural hospitals. Even harder to get them to stay out in the sticks. Americans like to have lots of restaurants, bars, and things to do.

This is correct. Some 20% of all female med school graduates never practice medicine.