# An increasing number of states filled Conrad 30 waivers for recruiting international medical graduates

## TL;DR

The Conrad 30 visa program helps recruit international doctors to underserved areas, but many states still underuse their allocated slots.

## Contribution

This study analyzes the growth and distribution of Conrad physicians from 2001 to 2020, revealing underutilization and variation across states.

## Key findings

- Half of the states still did not fill their allowed Conrad 30 slots in 2020.
- There are significant variations in the number of Conrad physicians by specialty and geography.
- States can better use the Conrad program to address healthcare needs in different areas.

## Abstract

To address physician shortages in the United States, Congress created the Conrad 30 visa waiver program allowing non-citizen international medical graduates to obtain visas to practice medicine in underserved areas. There is little information on whether states have effectively used the program. To fill the gap, we examined the growth and distribution of Conrad physicians between 2001 and 2020. We found that the number of states filling all of their annual allocated Conrad slots increased over the last two decades, yet one-half of the states still did not fill their allowed slots in 2020. Our analysis also revealed substantial variations across states in the number of Conrad physicians by specialty (eg, primary care physicians and psychiatrists), geography (eg, rural vs urban areas and physician shortage vs non-shortage areas). Our findings suggest that states can better use the Conrad program to meet healthcare needs across specialties and geographic areas.