California Senate Committee Passes Local Senator’s Bill Creating Pathway for Foreign-Educated Doctors to Practice as Physician Assistants

A bill authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino, who represents Pasadena, that proposes to create a pathway for foreign-educated doctors to practice as physician assistants in California through a training program has passed the Senate Business, Professions, & Economic Development Committee.

Senator Portantino emphasized the critical need for such an initiative, citing California’s projected shortage of 32,669 physicians by 2030 and the significant gaps in culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare services. The bill, SB 1041, aims to leverage the skills of immigrant medical professionals, particularly those with experience in countries like Armenia, to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the state’s population.

“While there are many highly skilled medical professionals who reside in California who cannot practice medicine, we have a severe shortage of healthcare providers,” Portantino said in a statement. “We need a program to help address our shortage and offer immigrant doctors the opportunity to take steps to become licensed providers to practice their chosen craft here. If we can do it, it will be a win-win for the patient and the healthcare system.”

SB 1041 would establish the Armenian Medical Graduate Physician Assistant Training Program, conducted at an appropriate educational institution or institutions. It mandates the Physician Assistant Board to develop and recommend the curriculum through a Training Program Advisory Task Force.

Successful completion of the training program and a specified examination would make Armenian medical graduates eligible for licensure as physician assistants, provided they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

During the committee hearing, Arnoldo Torres, from Noah’s Children Charity, and Karekin Karazian, a medical professional and constituent from Glendale, testified in support of the bill.

According to the bill, funding for the training program will be secured mostly through nonprofit philanthropic entities, marking a collaborative effort to address healthcare workforce challenges and improve access to quality care across California.