AUGUSTA, Maine — State leaders and health care professionals are going to the drawing board in Augusta to form a commission with the intent to better serve foreign-trained physicians in Maine.
The Commission Regarding Foreign-trained Physicians Living in Maine, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Kristen Cloutier, was formed to better serve physicians looking to work in the state, as well as remedy a shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas.
According to data from a previous meeting, taken from 2020 workforce data, there are close to 4,500 active physicians in Maine.
"There are barriers, I think, on both sides. Both for the folks looking to get credentialed but also the folks that they're serving," Cloutier said. "The commission members were selected so that they could get into the weeds on this and really sort of figure out what the next steps are."
On Wednesday, commission members heard from a handful of experts looking to give perspectives, such commission member David Ngandu, who has personal ties to the cause.
"You should understand, these kind of professions are a whole different profession as it requires different skills and training," Ngandu reminded his colleagues.
A look into other states is also being explored, with representatives from Massachusetts introducing the Physician Pathway Act at the meeting. The proposed piece of legislature would allow foreign-trained physicians a temporary license under a mentor.
University of New England Dean of Osteopathic Medicine Dr. Jane Carreiro also shared how the university supports its foreign health care professionals and how it may translate for other parts of the state.
"It sets a little bit of a framework here for us. It tells us what their challenges were, but I think it also highlighted things that haven't been thought about that I think are going to be challenges here in Maine," Dr. James Jarvis said, who is also serving as a commission member.
The commission meets next on Nov. 14.