Occupational Licensure

My training and experience were recognized last year. Why is this year different? I can continue to serve and save lives.

Lubab graduated from a top medical college in Baghdad and worked as a licensed pathologist for 18 years, saving countless lives until her own security was threatened. In 2014, she resettled with her family in the U.S. Seeking safety cost Lubab her career: Barriers to licensure, including time-consuming and costly medical exams and clinical training, prevented Lubab from rebuilding her medical career in the U.S. To support her family, she took a job at a restaurant.

In 2020, New Jersey granted Lubab a temporary medical license that allowed her to support the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response by caring for patients in a nursing home. However, the license has since expired. Lubab now works as a pathologist’s assistant.

I’m a doctor. I live in a community with doctor shortages. I want to serve patients, but my training isn’t recognized here.

Rona worked as a nurse for three years in Afghanistan before completing a medical degree and practicing as a physician for two years. When ongoing political instability threatened her security, Rona moved to Kabul, where she worked with both the United Nations and USAID. Since resettlement to the U.S. three years ago, systemic barriers to licensure have prevented her from working as a physician. Limited recognition of her credentials and experience from Afghanistan mean that she needs to repeat her education and training to practice medicine in the U.S., a process that takes years and costs tens of thousands of dollars.

With support from Washington Academy for International Medical Graduates (WAIMG), an IMPRINT member organization, Rona is rebuilding her career in health care. She has worked as a medical interpreter and a patient care coordinator intern. She recently completed coursework to become a medical assistant and phlebotomist, and works part-time while studying to earn an associate degree in the U.S. She hopes to find a full-time job that will both support her family and help address growing health workforce shortages in Washington State.

I was a licensed, experienced physician in Afghanistan. But to work as a doctor in the U.S., I have to repeat my training.

In Afghanistan, Niamatullah built a successful seven-year career in medicine as both a physician and United Nations public health and nutrition program associate. However, since resettling in Washington State, he has been unable to practice medicine.

Under a new state law, Niamatullah could qualify for a limited license to work under the supervision of a fully licensed doctor, but obtaining a permanent medical license requires him to repeat medical exams and a residency, a multi-year process that will leave him unable to work and provide for his three children. He’s considering alternative pathways—becoming a Registered Nurse or a Medical Diagnostic Sonographer—but even those options will require him to repeat basic prerequisite courses as his international credentials are not recognized.

Niamatullah has secured short-term roles in patient care coordination and public health, including work as an administrative assistant with a local COVID-19 vaccination and testing program.