Committee hears bipartisan support for provisional licensing, grants for internationally trained health professionals

Lawmakers, licensing officials and internationally trained health-care professionals testified on Feb. 27 in support of Senate Bill 476, a measure that would create provisional licensing pathways for internationally trained health professionals and a grant program to support credentialing and workforce reentry.

The bill’s dash-1 amendment would require licensing boards to publish guidance for internationally educated applicants, require culturally responsive training for board staff, establish a provisional-license pathway for internationally trained physicians with supervision requirements, and create a grant program through the Oregon Department of Human Services to help internationally educated professionals pay fees and access reentry services. Committee staff and several witnesses framed the bill as a workforce and equity proposal that could help reduce “brain waste” — the underutilization of highly skilled immigrants.

Why it matters: supporters said the measure would address workforce shortages across health professions by allowing qualified, experienced international professionals already living in Oregon to reenter their fields under supervision…