the shortage is artificial thanks to the AMA. there is no shortage of highly-qualified candidates from india, china, or the like. although they often don’t have the benefit of being able to speak english...
It might help to know some basic data:
* Physicians in the USA: 794,893.
* Foreign graduate doctors in the USA: 185,234 (from 127 countries).
* Percentage of doctors in U.S. training programs who are foreigners: 24%.
This is not a new phenomenon. Foreign physicians have made up about this percentage of our doctor population for years. A sizable portion work in medically underserved communities and small towns. This at a time when a shortage of doctors in the USA is expected to grow to as much as 200,000 by 2020.