I have the training skills that I have. ‘As doctors refugees help combat USA COVID-19 with no medical license

Long before he knew medical school in Baghdad, Ahmed Al- $array started that he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. When he graduated in 2015, the research designed for a specific purpose in a passion for health care in times of crisis. Even a resident doctor ripped busy emergency department most affected stations and Baghdad trauma of war hospitals was not enough to dissuade him. But the fighters were. As rival militias flooded in 2017 Al- $emergency boot array, so he found for his life to fight as his patients. militia leaders demanded that he take care of front of other patients for their fighters, and threatened to kill him if he visited their enemies. After losing a colleague of violent attacks, he fled to the United States, but never gave to cure his commitment. So if COVID-19 met at $array adopted home of Los Angeles, he thought it was the perfect opportunity to use his medical background. “I have the skills, I have the training, I have to help the passion,” he says. What he does not have is the American approval. So at $array, the asylum was granted in 2018 in the United States a year, can not take medicine in the country, the practice for foreign doctors because of stricter permit rules. Instead of working as a doctor, at $array does what he sees as the next best thing: the city of Los Angeles to fulfill his promise COVID-19 test for the help for all that you want. He works as a security guard in a test site at Dodger Stadium, where instead baseball games, 6,000 tests are administered per day. He admits he is disappointed to be from the front to help sick patients in hospitals. But the work he does, “is the same thing,” he says. “There is no cure, vaccine COVID-19 test is to stop the most important part of this disease. So, it can help if I stop the spread, then I’m happy to do, I can in response to this pandemic. “The doctor-turned-COVID Iraqi tester is only one of the 165,000 refugees and immigrants have in the medical education in the United States, but are due to the requirements of licenses to work in their field is not able to Policy Institute migration, a nonpartisan think tank for research. Regulations vary from state to state, but overall, all aspiring doctors must pass the examination of the local medical board, and then for practical use three to five years in a teaching hospital. “Even if you practice for years in another country, when you come to the US to get the license, you will have a repeat residency program,” said Jacki Esposito, director of US policy and advocacy in Education Worldwide Services (WES), a nonprofit organization that study or work in the US or Canada is planning credential assessments for students and immigrants provides international. The application process for residency programs, which is notoriously difficult and competitive for American medical students has formed an even greater challenge for doctors abroad. Many programs also limit the amount of time that a must the applicant between the completion of medical school and begin to take a holiday. “In most cases there is no recognition of your experience outside the US,” says Esposito. “So doctors internationally trained, just because you have not been trained in the United States, and not trained for a long time because they have practiced in their home countries, they do not have the recent experience of training to qualify for programs of residence. “facing the prospect of years of study, expensive tests and uncertainty for the stay qualify before you can start working in their field, many migrants and refugees provide physicians decide more immediate jobs for the envelope pay. Some are working as a taxi driver or a detergent. Others, like 35-year-old Afghan doctor Ameena Yosefzaie, jobs set of patches babysitting and DoorDash concerts help to make ends meet while studying for medical exams that allow them to start from scratch in the United States, although years home experience. Like many others, Yosefzaie is particularly eager to help, such as the lack of long-time health care workers in the United States, especially in rural communities and sparsely, the more acute the crisis is COVID-19. “I heard that there is a shortage of doctors and nurses in California,” says Yosefzaie, who now lives in Sacramento. “It ‘s frustrating. I wish I could help, but I’m not allowed to work as a doctor. Maybe I can help in any other way.” In some states is an urgent need, health care workers, asked for help with the outbreak of civil servants to loosen the rules. Colorado Governor signed an executive order allowing foreign licensed health care professionals to help answer the COVID. New Jersey Governor has authorized temporarily abroad to serve the medical certificates in certain contexts. And leave in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo doctors abroad are in patient care hospitals are recognized if at least one year of graduate medical education in the United States has signed, but many other areas, such as testing or research contacts where medical expertise is useful even if it is not required license of the US physician. The it is where people like Al Yosefzaie $arrays and may play a role. “Working Most of refugees and immigrants in this country, paying taxes, and the possible benefits of getting back,” says Al $array. “I’m here to help. Do not be helped. I’m a doctor and worked in my country for two years. I want to use this experience to help the American people.” Al- $array found his testing task with a new online platform set up by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian organization that provides refugees refugees.rescue.org make a connection in the United States with opportunities for work and training. portal called refugees and immigrants with medical degrees from abroad to register their interest in working in the fight against COVID-19. carry out their credentials, where they are based, and if you are willing to travel. It can also tell if they are interested in pay-only positions, or if they want to, more than 540 health experts also feel they volunteer opportunities. 42 countries have launched since the platform mid-May signed, They are mainly doctors and nurses, but also firefighters, dentists, microbiologists and more. “It overload for a time when the US health care system enormously when there is a shortage of human resources, and there is a large pool of nurses and doctors with degrees from foreign doctors underutilized, it seemed very necessary to the need to connect with the supply, “said Hans van de Weerd, IRC vice president for resettlement, asylum and integration. “These are the” essential workers on the front against COVID-19, many have already faced by them war and health emergencies at home and now step had returned voluntarily in the fire for the country that receives them. “Van de Weerd surprised to see that almost three quarters of those who have registered on the IRC platform, said they were willing volunteers. Remain Many refugees at home and do nothing I’m tired, he says. Want to help, and use their skills but they may not know where to go “Maybe he wants a doctor to treat people; .. wants a nurse taking care of patients, it is not so surprising, if it is your vocation, it is now in the new country, as well as want to do. “For the $array, which was exactly the case. Has spent the last two years trying to perfect her English and to study the US medicine for its upcoming board exams. If he does well, he wants to apply for residencies medical in September. Even though he had just completed his residency before fleeing in Baghdad, says he has not even three years will not mind when you work with the patient. he recorded on the IRC website as soon as he heard about it. “the doctor will be the whole reason I wanted was to help people, so that the odds of volunteers saw, “says Al $array.” I did not want to stay at home contribute nothing “in late May got $Al- an array called California was her COVID-19 test facilities in partnership with local organization called the nucleus (Community organized Relief Effort) expanded dramatically; he was in one of the test sites monitoring protocols Safety as a health and safety manager? She immediately said yes. It was not until he completed his training and signed his contract he realized that it was a paid position. “I did not care. I just want a part of this response,” he says. CORE, a charity co-founded the US-American actor Sean Penn following a devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the company operates 37 sites in the US, including Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and the Navajo Nation. So far it has given more than 310,000 tests. As it grew to develop a partnership group to chat her qualified health professionals database. of COVID-19 test method of the core benefit of experience in health management, but does not require approval. only qualified medical refugees “You feel like a win-win,” says Benjamin Bashein, CORE vice president of people and communications company. “They could not be certified to work in this country, but they still have to take account of technical background.” Foreign language skills and different cultural skills refugees are also directed an advantage for a testing program in communities and disadvantaged black community. In test sites recently opened in Atlanta, CORE was able to provide not only medical knowledge available, but the interpretation in 13 different languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Kiswahili, Somali and Tigrinya. “To work with these new Americans who have been transferred to rewarding chat,” he says CORE co-founder and CEO of Ann Lee. “Core estimate these dedicated volunteers, we scale and free COVID-19 tests provide vulnerable communities in the US is performed. The” Whether the IRC and WES hope that the database and the partnership with soul for caregivers of immigrants on lead line, as well as a more efficient way to enter the US health care system to more opportunities. “To the extent that we are able to turn the situation into something that importance are those 165,000 people can affect your life by improving access to health care that a positive result would be,” says the WES’Esposito. “We know that there is an urgent need for authorized health professionals and there must also be other public health roles to fill,” he says, a growing need for contact tracing in the US noting “These are the roles in which immigrants and refugees can really help. There are roles that do not make any changes to the policy are to ensure that people go where they are needed. “Although Al-$array is confident that in the end make it as a doctor in the United States, it is now excited a role to play in the pandemic response, no matter how small. Before starting his training as a security officer for the core, at $array infectious disease his greater knowledge and personal protection skills watching instructional videos by the Center for the control and prevention of disease and the World Health Organization. A few hours after the end of May till the beginning of Dodger Stadium, it was the adjustment of test management protocols to minimize the risk of infection. By the end of his first day, he was stunned with a sense of accomplishment. “Now that I’m in the front, I am even more excited, because I see the amount of people in first person we help,” he says. “As part of such a great testing ground really make you feel like you are contributing on the response. I feel like I make a difference.” -With reporting by Carlo Barrera / Los Angeles
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