US think-tank bats for international medical students to be included in STEM-optional practical training program

MUMBAI: Since its inception, the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program has played a critical role in training and retaining qualified foreign graduates from US universities. While international students have the opportunity to work for one year post-graduation, students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields receive an additional two years, extending their OPT period to three years.
However, the current norms unnecessarily exclude medical graduates from participating in the additional 24-month training period, the Niskanen Center, a nonprofit public policy organization, points out, and calls for their inclusion in the STEM-OPT program.
In its representation to the relevant administrative officials, Cecilia Esterline, an immigration research analyst at the Niskanen Center, advocates for the inclusion of MD (Doctor of Medicine) and DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) programs under the STEM-OPT designation. If accepted, this change would undoubtedly benefit medical students from India and make the US a more attractive study destination.
The Niskanen Center notes that the number of students likely to benefit from the proposed change is small—fewer than 400 non-citizen, non-resident students began MD and DO programs in 2022. However, these students represent some of the top medical talent in the country and should be a priority for post-graduate retention. Fewer than 50 US medical schools accept international students, but those that do are among the highest-ranked, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, according to the representation.
Not only do these universities have rigorous admissions processes, but national data suggests that international students who successfully enroll in US medical schools typically have higher undergraduate grade point averages (GPAs) and higher Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores than the average matriculant. The representation also cites statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges, highlighting that the US is facing a projected physician shortage of 86,000 by 2036.
“We must ensure that we do not lose highly qualified, US-trained doctors due to outdated, stagnant policy barriers. While we acknowledge that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has previously chosen not to recognize medical degrees as STEM fields due to the importance of patient care education, a large portion of the medical school curriculum is STEM-focused. At Harvard Medical School, for instance, STEM courses account for around 70% of the first two years for research-track students, and around 55% for clinical-track students. Medical students typically take their first licensing exam at the end of their second year, and that test almost exclusively covers disciplines that appear on the STEM designation list, such as pathology, physiology, and pharmacology. Medical degrees should qualify for inclusion due to the significant proportion of the curriculum dedicated to STEM disciplines,” the representation argues.
All students must compete to enter highly competitive medical schools and residency programs. Therefore, this change would not give international students an advantage over American students. Instead, it would rectify a systemic oversight of the scientific focus of medical education. Although the limited pool of beneficiaries would likely still need sponsorship after completing the STEM-OPT period, designating MD and DO programs for STEM-OPT would significantly improve the ability to retain the most qualified international students in the US, the representation concludes.
Currently, a significant number of doctors in the US are immigrants. The Times of India previously covered data from the Migration Policy Institute, which, based on 2021 data, reported that of the 9.87 lakh doctors in the US, nearly 26.5% (or 2.62 lakh) are immigrants. More doctors from India have moved to the US than from any other country. There are 59,000 Indian doctors in the US—one in five (or 22%) of all immigrant doctors are Indian. In comparison, there are only 16,000 doctors born in China and Hong Kong (6% of the immigrant doctor population) practicing in the US Pakistan rounds off the top three with 13,000 immigrant doctors, constituting 5% of the immigrant doctor population. New Jersey, Florida, and New York are the top US states for immigrant doctors.