What shortage of primary care physicians? Miami has plenty of primary care docs who have defected from Cuba, according to the New York Times , which estimates that 6,000 medical professionals have left Cuba in the last six years. More generally, foreign-trained physicians have been filling the shortage of primary care physicians in the U.S. in recent years (see here for residency match data from this year). One out of every four doctors in the U.S. is now trained overseas, according to the NYT. Like foreign-trained docs from other countries, Cuban physicians may face the perception that their training isn’t as rigorous as medical schools in the U.S. In addition, Cuban docs tend to be older when they come to the

U.S., which makes it even harder for them to nab residencies, the intensive clinical training programs required to practice as a physician here. Some former physicians in Cuba choose to work in a different capacity in a medical setting when they get to the U.S., like as a nurse or medical technician, to avoid the challenges of getting licensed in this country. “It brings to our community highly qualified professionals at a time of great need,” Ana Carbonell, chief of staff for Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida told the NYT. “They work alongside U.S.-trained doctors, and they enhance any practice or wherever they work.” Image: iStockphoto

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In Miami, Cuban Docs Fill Primary Care Void