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6/25/2025
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Bill to help foreign-trained doctors practice medicine in Rhode Island is signed into law
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STATE HOUSE — Legislation introduced by Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. and Sen. Lori Urso to help internationally trained physicians acquire medical licenses by eliminating barriers such as repeating residency programs has been signed into law.
The law (2025-H 5108Aaa, 2025-S 0347Aaa) allows internationally trained physicians to practice at health care facilities in Rhode Island under the guidance, assessment and evaluation of licensed physicians in the state, offering a pathway to full licensure outside of the current requirements to train in accredited United States residency training programs.
“Many talented foreign physicians face an assortment of bureaucratic hurdles in practicing medicine in America, including having to repeat residency, costly licensure requirements, and increasing restrictions,” said Representative Solomon (D-Dist. 22, Warwick). “As the physician shortage worsens, we need to tap into this skilled pool of professionals to strengthen our medical community with multilingual, culturally competent physicians — especially in underserved communities.”
This legislation is modeled on the Physician Pathway Act, which was enacted last year in Massachusetts after a statewide task force determined that more than one in five foreign-trained health care professionals in the commonwealth were either unemployed or working in low wage, low-skilled jobs.
“We worked with the Department of Health and the Board of Medical Licensure to develop proper language to ensure due diligence in providing this pathway,” said Senator Urso (D-Dist. 8, Pawtucket). “I hope it opens the door — even if just a little — to easing the burdens on our primary care physicians.”
Under this legislation, an internationally-trained physician will be defined as “a physician who has received a degree of doctor of medicine or its equivalent from a medical school located outside the United States with recognized accreditation status from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.”
Such physicians are now eligible to apply for a limited international physician license to practice medicine for a renewable one-year term after satisfying certain criteria, provided that such limited registration would supply a pathway to apply for the issuance of a full unrestricted license to practice medicine in accordance with the criteria.
The measure goes into effect immediately.
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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