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Second Shot at the American Dream

Every immigrant has dreamt the American Dream. The story of the man from a faraway land coming to the United States with just pennies in his pocket, working hard, and then making it big is a familiar cliché. Asian Americans in particular have held onto the notion, ever since people began emigrating from China in search of Gold Mountain.

There’s another tale to be told, though, one that rarely gets repeated. When educated professionals arrive in the United States, they often face a riches-to-rags twist.

That’s the reality confronting many overseas-trained doctors. Unlike computer engineers, who in recent times have flourished in California’s high-tech boom, physicians, without U.S. medical licenses, are often forced to find alternatives (as taxi drivers, cashiers, clerks, anything to pay the bills).

The health profession requires both technical and social skills. To practice in American, they must pass a rigorous set of exams, including a comprehensive English test. These tough standards, though, have made the U.S. medical sciences the best in the world. The American public can be assured that no matter where their doctors studied, they will get the highest quality care.

Unfortunately, however, even after some foreign-trained physicians pass the exams, the doors to residency programs are still shut. This is especially disturbing considering America’s changing demographics. We need multilingual, multicultural health care workers.

In San Francisco, the “Welcome Back” program will help fill that need — by offering career counseling and training for these immigrant health professionals, whose skills are greatly under-utilized.