LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / October 17, 2025 / CNN spotlighted Dr. Michael Everest, Chief Academic Officer and Founder of Residents Medical, the nation's leading organization for placing international medical graduates, in a high-profile segment examining how proposed U.S. visa reforms could worsen the country's escalating physician shortage.

During his CNN appearance, Dr. Everest called on policymakers to create visa exemptions and relief mechanisms for residency programs and critical-access hospitals, emphasizing that international medical graduates (IMGs) aren't replacing American physicians; they're filling critical gaps in care.

"We need targeted visa exceptions that protect the doctors who serve in America's most vulnerable communities," said Dr. Everest. "International medical graduates are not competitors. They're collaborators, the ones ensuring hospitals stay open and patients receive care."

Dr. Everest, whose programs have guided thousands of doctors into U.S. residencies and clinical practice, underscored the indispensable role IMGs play in sustaining the nation's healthcare safety net, particularly in rural and underserved regions already facing acute workforce shortages.

A Health System on the Brink
Almost one in four U.S. physicians is an international medical graduate, practitioners who help fill critical gaps in primary care, internal medicine, and psychiatry. They staff community hospitals, urgent care clinics, and mental health centers that serve the nation's most vulnerable populations.

The physician shortage is no projection; it is a crisis already unfolding:

• The American Medical Association (AMA) warns of a projected gap between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians over the next decade as demand outpaces available supply.

• In California alone, it is projected to be short 32,669 physicians by 2030.

These are not abstract stats; they represent closed maternity wards, hours-long ER waits, limited specialty access, and entire communities losing basic care.

Visa Policy Threatens This Critical Pipeline
Many of the physicians who step in to fill these gaps come via J-1 or H-1B visa pathways. Under current rules:

• J-1 visas require physicians to return to their home country for at least two years after training.

• H-1B visas allow them to remain and serve in U.S. communities after residency.

But under the newly proposed $100,000 visa fee, the financial burden could make this path untenable for many. That would sharply restrict the flow of international talent just when the U.S. needs it most, at a time when population aging, growing chronic disease burden, and physician retirements are already straining capacity.

From Pipeline to Permanence: Retaining Doctors in High-Need Areas
It's not enough to bring doctors in for training; they must stay where the need is greatest. Through Residents Medical, Dr. Everest has developed structured pathways combining mentorship, clinical placement, and hands-on support to help IMGs succeed in U.S. systems and remain committed to rural areas.

About Dr. Michael Everest
Dr. Michael Everest, MD, is Chief Academic Officer of Residents Medical and Founder, Chairman & CEO of edYOU. A recognized leader in global medical education, he has shepherded thousands of medical graduates into U.S. residencies and helped expand physician access across underserved regions. As Chairman Emeritus of The Everest Foundation, he continues to champion innovation, mentorship, and equitable health care access.

For more information on Residents Medical, visit https://residentsmedical.com/.

For more information about edYOU, visit https://edyou.com/.

SOURCE: Dr. Michael Everest