More than 1 in 4 U.S. physicians were born in another country, as were many other healthcare professionals, according to a recent study cited by Reuters.
In a Dec. 4 research letter published in the journal JAMA, researchers analyzed 2016 U.S. census data and found that nearly 17 percent of the 164,000 healthcare professionals surveyed were not born in the U.S.
Researchers found physicians were the most likely to be foreign-born (29 percent), and roughly 7 percent were not U.S. citizens. The study also noted among other health professions, dentists were the second-least likely to be born in the U.S. (24 percent), followed by pharmacists (20 percent) and RNs (16 percent).
Researchers discovered Asia sends the highest number of healthcare professionals to the U.S. (6 percent), followed by Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
"Skilled immigration from other countries is an important contributor to nearly every occupation within the broader healthcare industry," the study's senior author told Reuters.
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