Academics
Program fills local need for medical professionals
When Herlly Camacho arrived in the U.S. in May of 2006, she didn’t know any English. But as a practicing general surgeon in her native Colombia, she had plenty of valuable professional knowledge.
The U.S. is expecting a shortage of 200,000 physicians by the year 2020. Unfortunately for Camacho and other foreign medical professionals, the road to recertification isn’t an easy one. To assist them with the process, Miami Dade College established the Foreign Physician Alternative Certification (FOPAC) program, which provides orientation, assistance and training to foreign health care professionals living in the U.S.
After President Bush signed into law a bill making it easier for individuals with medical degrees to enter the country with the J-1 visa, MDC President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón appointed an advisory board of medical professionals to help develop FOPAC. Noted cardiologist José Joaquín Centurión took the lead in establishing the program’s goals and curriculum.
Since it was launched a year ago as part of the College’s Refugee/Entrant Vocational Education Services Training (REVEST) department, FOPAC has assisted more than 500 foreign professionals to transition into occupations that help fill a nationwide critical shortage of skilled medical workers.
Some, like Camacho, choose to study for the United States Medical Licensing Examination to become recertified in their field. Other options include training for careers in nursing, medical laboratory technology, respiratory care and teaching.
Through FOPAC, Miami Dade College provides students with orientation and assistance every step of the way.
“It’s a win-win situation for the community,” said Eduardo Chávez, director of REVEST. An added bonus is that many stay on in South Florida after completing the program. The majority of professionals stay in Miami to work, Chávez said.
The program is supported by the Department of Children and Families, the Florida Legislative Allocation and BlueCross Blue Shield of Florida, which recently presented the College with a $150,000 gift to further its success.
Already, MDC has placed two graduates in medical programs in New York and Pennsylvania, and nearly a dozen are on the accelerated track to becoming registered nurses.
Camacho is now working at the College as the program’s intake and academic advisor while she prepares to take the state licensing exam. In the year she has been working there, she said, more than 3,500 individuals have expressed interest in the program.
“Every day I see students who are in different parts of the process,” she said. “One day I’ll have someone who arrived in the U.S. a few days ago and the next day I have students that have been here 15-20 years.”
— Staff Report