State cuts UMN program to retrain foreign doctors for work here
In case you missed yesterday's report by MPR health reporter Lorna Benson, state lawmakers have cut a University of Minnesota program designed to help immigrant doctors qualify to practice in this state.
Dr. Will Nicholson, who helped teach the first class of physicians, told Benson:
"Many of them could be qualified to do this job with just a little bit of extra training. You desperately need people to do this job. Why not get them out in the game? To tackle some of the health care problems Minnesota is facing we need all hands on deck."
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Benson also writes that Nicholson told her:
Retraining foreign doctors is much more cost-effective than training a new student.
"By cutting our funding, they've saved a dime and lost a dollar," he said.