New research from the American Immigration Council highlights the crucial role immigrants in Nevada are playing to help address critical physician shortages. To meet the growing healthcare needs of the Silver State, especially in underserved areas, the state will need to implement policies that attract and retain immigrant talent that is complementary to the U.S.-born workforce, and that also builds career pathways for immigrants who already call the state home.
Key findings from the brief include:
- There is a growing demand for physicians in Nevada. From 2018 to 2022, the number of online job postings for physicians in Nevada increased by 12.7 percent. Demand for general internists grew the most, increasing by 45 percent, anesthesiologists increased by 39.6 percent, and oral surgeons increased by 13.6 percent.
- The need for multilingual and culturally competent practitioners in Nevada has also become apparent. Job postings for healthcare positions that required bilingual skills in the Silver State increased 28.6 percent between 2018 and 2022.
- International medical graduates (IMGs) are already helping meet demand, despite barriers. Between 2015 and 2019, the average share of physicians in Nevada who were immigrants was 31.7 percent. Moreover, in 2022, hospitals were only able to fill 221 of the state’s 275 open medical residency positions. Of these 221 filled residency positions, Nevada placed nine medical doctors who were non-citizen IMGs (4.1 percent) into open residency positions and accepted medical residencies in the state.
