Bill Text: CA AB2478 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: International medical graduates: study.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-08-20 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB2478 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AB2478-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2478
| Introduced by Assembly Member Carrillo |
February 19, 2020 |
An act to add Section 2028 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2478, as introduced, Carrillo.
International medical graduates: study.
Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons. Existing law establishes the University of California at Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine’s International Medical Graduate Program to allow selected international medical graduates in a preresidency training program at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine to receive hands-on clinical instruction, as prescribed.
This bill would require the board to conduct a study by January 1, 2022, on achieving specified goals relating to expanding the existing pool of international medical graduates. The bill would require the board, on or before January 1, 2022, to prepare and submit to the Legislature a report with recommendations to
achieve those goals.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 2028 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:2028.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares the following:(1) Bilingual international medical graduates can help meet the needs of medically underserved regions with limited English proficient populations.
(2) There is an increasing number of undergraduate students born in the United States who attend medical school in foreign Spanish-speaking countries, and are considered international medical graduates.
(3) Spanish-speaking physicians, including Spanish-speaking international medical graduates, are highly underrepresented in California’s physician workforce.
(4) California needs Spanish-speaking physicians to meet needs of Spanish-speaking limited English proficient patients more than any other linguistically underrepresented language group.
(5) The current supply is limited and insufficient to address the expected demand from the limited English proficient Spanish-speaking population.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand the existing pool of international medical graduates in California.
(c) The board shall conduct a study by January 1, 2022, on achieving the following goals:
(1) Recruiting bilingual physicians trained in Spanish-speaking countries, and facilitating their practice in medically underserved areas with high Latino populations, including, but not limited to, Los
Angeles, Orange County, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire.
(2) Supporting international medical graduates training programs that enhance primary care residency match competitiveness.
(3) Identifying and supporting programs that help prepare international medical graduates to match in a competitive residency program in a primary care specialty, including family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
(4) Expanding the terms of service to priority areas to five-year terms for physicians and surgeons to retain international medical graduates in underserved areas for extended times.
(5) Adding a service contract requirement for those who enter the United States via J-1 and H1B visas, as these physicians do not currently have service
requirements and are a potential source of bilingual primary care physicians.
(d) (1) On or before January 1, 2022, the board shall prepare and submit to the Legislature a report with recommendations to achieve the goals of subdivision (c).
(2) (A) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (d) is inoperative on January 1, 2026, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (d) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
