Summary:

 House Bill172 (HB172) relates to health care by increasing the states Health Care Workforce Development Act by enacting the Immigrant Health Care Workforce Development Act and providing for an immigrants health professional acceleration program and providing for an immigrant primary care physician readiness pathway and providing for an immigrant primary care residency pathway  and providing for an immigrant primary care residency grant program and creating the immigrant workforce development fund and creating the immigrant health care workforce advisory group, while modifying definitions in the Medical Practice Act and including an appropriation. 

Legislation Overview:

 House Bill172 (HB172) creates the "Immigrant Health Care Workforce Development Act". 
The Department  shall establish and maintain an immigrant health care professional acceleration program to support underemployed immigrant health care workers.
The program shall provide participants: 
(1)  educational and career navigation, including: (a)  information on training and licensing requirements; (b)  guidance in determining the pathway best suited for a participant based on the participant's skills, experience, resources and interests; (c)  information and guidance regarding funding sources for training and education; and (d)  information regarding practice areas for careers as physicians, nurses, physician assistants or other health care professionals; 
(2)  training and funding for that training to support and facilitate participants who identify a need to acquire medical English proficiency; (3)  support with integration into the New Mexico community and labor force, including peer group support and professional associations; 
(4)  training and funding for that training for participants to become familiar with using medical information technologies, including acquiring and updating contemporary computer skills and the use of electronic health record technologies.
Also, to improve participants' knowledge, familiarity and skills in the use of health care and health insurance systems used by health care professionals and health care-related entities in New Mexico and the United States.
Various forms of financial support are included in the legislation including test preparation and license examination fees. 
The Department shall partner with a licensed health care provider in New Mexico for the development and operation of an immigrant primary care physician readiness pathway for qualified immigrant international medical graduates seeking to become licensed primary care physicians in New Mexico.
Eligibility for the program is outlined as an underemployed immigrant health care worker which shall: (1)  not be present in the United States on a J1 visa following acceptance into a United States medical residency or fellowship program, (2)  not be present in the United States on a non-immigrant employment-based visa; (3)  have prior foreign health care experience; (4)  be a New Mexico resident during program participation; and (5)  commit to living in New Mexico and working in one of New Mexico's underserved communities post-licensure for a period of time that is the longer of: (a)  at least one year; or (b)  a period of time commensurate with the level of financial support received by the participant, not to exceed three years.
The Department  shall identify underserved communities.
To be eligible to participate in the immigrant primary care physician readiness pathway, a qualified immigrant international medical graduate shall: 
(1)  receive a certificate of acceleration program completion based on that individual's skills, participation, experience and other prerequisites set by the Department , as demonstrated during the individual's participation in the immigrant health care professional acceleration program, 
(2)  have attained educational commission for foreign medical graduates certification, a substantially similar certification or a generally recognized and accepted alternative evaluation of medical training as approved by the Department ; 
(3)  have completed a post-graduate training program in a country outside of the United States and Canada that is substantially similar to a United States residency program accredited by the accrediting council;  
(4)  have been licensed to practice medicine in a country other than the United States or Canada for at least three years; and  
(5)  commit to practicing as a primary care physician for three years in an underserved community in New Mexico post-licensure, not including time spent participating in a New Mexico residency program, which service shall be counted as served concurrently with any other commitment for service in an underserved community in New Mexico accrued during participation in the immigrant health care professional acceleration program.
The Department shall establish criteria to enter the accelerated program. Personal connection, experience, skills and a demonstrated interest in the program are some of the components for entering the accelerated program. 
The Department in coordination with medical education programs is to develop a grant program for participants. 
The "Immigrant Health Care Workforce Development Fund" is created as a non-reverting fund. Money in the fund is subject to appropriation by the legislature to the Department .
An "Immigrant Health Care Workforce Advisory Committee" is to be composed of no more than fifteen individuals made up from community based and professional organizations.
A definition is provided in the Act to read: "qualified international medical graduate" means a physician who has a medical degree or qualification from a medical school located outside the United States and Canada recognized by the world health organization or the world directory of medical schools as provided in the Immigrant Health Care Workforce Development Act and an "underserved community" means a New Mexico area or population included in the list of designated primary medical care health professional shortage areas, medically underserved areas or medically underserved populations maintained and updated by the United States Department  of health and human services or any state equivalent.
In the area of licensure to practice, the Board may consider for licensure a person who is of good moral character, is a graduate of an accredited United States or Canadian medical or osteopathic medical school, has passed an examination approved by the Board and has completed two years of an approved postgraduate training program for physicians.

The Board may issue to an applicant who is a qualified international medical graduate a provisional license to practice medicine valid for a period not to exceed two years if the applicant submits evidence acceptable to the Board that the applicant: 
(1)  has graduated from a legally chartered medical school outside of the United States and Canada recognized by the world health organization or the world directory of medical schools. 
(2)  has been licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine in a country other than the United Statesand has not been out of practice for more than two years; 
(3)  has a valid certificate issued by the educational commission for foreign medical graduates or other credential evaluation service approved by the Board; provided, however, that the Board may waive certification at the Board's discretion if the applicant is unable to obtain the required documentation from a noncooperative country; 
(4)  has achieved a passing score on both step 1 and step 2 clinical knowledge of the United States medical licensing examination; 
(5)  has entered into an agreement with a medical care facility that provides an assessment and evaluation program designed to develop, assess and evaluate the physician's nonclinical skills and familiarity with standards appropriate for medical practice in New Mexico according to criteria developed or approved by the Board, which shall promulgate rules regarding these standards. 
(6)  has an offer of full-time employment from the medical care facility identified in Paragraph (5) of this subsection after the Board issues a license pursuant to this subsection; and 
(7)  has satisfied any other criteria that the Board may require for issuance of a provisional license.
An individual who successfully obtains a license and practices until the license's expiration shall be eligible to apply for a renewable two-year restricted license to practice medicine in an underserved community in New Mexico. The Board may issue a renewable license to an applicant if the applicant submits evidence acceptable to the Board that the applicant: 
(1)  has successfully completed the participating facility's assessment and evaluation program.
(2)  has achieved a passing score on step 3 of the United States medical licensing examination. 
(3)  has an offer of full-time employment from a health care facility, including a public hospital, a for profit or nonprofit private hospital, a general or special hospital, an outpatient facility, a freestanding birth center, a nursing home, an intermediate care facility, an assisted living facility or other health care facility at which medical care is provided by state-licensed medical care practitioners, in an underserved community in New Mexico; and 
(4)  has no disciplinary actions or pending investigations.
One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) is appropriated from the General Fund to the Workforce Solutions Department  for expenditure in fiscal year 2026 to implement and administer the provisions of the Immigrant Health Care Workforce Development Act, including hiring three full-time-equivalent Department  staff and providing program grants.
The effective date of the provisions of this Act is July 1, 2025.