Licensure of foreign medical graduates: an historical perspective

Today, one out of five practicing physicians in the U.S. is a graduate of a foreign medical school. The sixfold growth in their number over the past two decades results from national policy; but the place and conditions of practice have been controlled by state governments. The several states have used their jurisdiction over licensure in ways that have often been unfair and irrational. Recent trends toward uniform standards, however, may lead to more equitable assurance of professional competence, and to interstate mobility related to local and national needs.