ASCP continues to urge the federal government to help address the workforce issues affecting pathologists and laboratory professionals. ASCP recently wrote congressional leaders about Graduate Medical Education (GME) and immigration issues affecting the pathologist and laboratory professional workforce.
As a member of the Graduate Medical Education Advocacy Coalition, ASCP joined with the American Association of Medical Colleges, the American Medical Association, and others in a letter urging Congress to take steps to support training new physicians. The advocacy initiative supports the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would provide 14,000 new Medicare-supported GME positions over seven years.
In addition, ASCP urged Senate leaders to enact immigration reforms to address the shortage of pathologists, laboratory professionals, and other healthcare workers. In a
letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, ASCP outlined its support for several policy changes, including increasing the “cap” on the number of H-1B visas (a nonresident, employment-based visas) available annually, as well as bringing back the defunct H-1C visa as a visa option serving all healthcare occupations suffering from shortages. The H-1C visa was originally developed to address nursing shortages in underserved areas.
ASCP also sent a
letter to Senators Amy Klobuchar, Susan Collins, Jacky Rosen, and Thom Tillis supporting their introduction of the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act. The measure increases the number of Conrad 30 waivers available to the states. The Conrad program provides each state with 30 waivers, used to provide International Medical Graduates (IMGs) with exemptions of the J-1 visa’s two-year home residency requirement if the individual agrees to work in an underserved area.
Pathology is one of the physician specialties most heavily dependent on IMGs to meet patient needs. According to data provided by the
National Medical Resident Matching Program on March 17, 2023, 30 percent of U.S. pathology residents are non-US citizen IMGs—more than twice the national rate (14 percent). Expansion of the Conrad 30 program, therefore, is key to addressing the shortage of pathologists.
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