AHA Feb. 20 strongly urged the Department of Labor to retain professional nurses and physical therapists on the Schedule A Shortage Occupation List and to consider expanding the list to include medical doctors and pharmacists. The Schedule A List aids in hiring international workers by allowing employment sponsors to bypass the requirement to conduct a test of the labor market and apply for a permanent labor certification, a process that can take a year or more. The department is seeking input as to whether the list of Schedule A occupations should be expanded to include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and Non-STEM Occupations that are in shortage.

“While the AHA understands the department’s interest in expanding Schedule A to encompass STEM occupations, the current shortages in the health care sector underscore the need to remain focused on including these essential occupations on the list,” the association wrote, responding to the department’s request for information. 

Related News Articles

Headline
In a video released Sept. 17 for National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, Carrie Cunningham, M.D., an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School…
Blog
Public
Medical residency is one of the most demanding stages in a physician’s career. Long hours, intense learning and new responsibilities often push trainees to…
Headline
The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that it sent letters to many large health care employers and staffing firms, urging them to review their…
Headline
The AHA today expressed support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 4731 /S. 2439) to House and Senate sponsors of the bills. The…
Headline
A recent blog by Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA’s group vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, highlights how some hospitals and health systems are…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Sept. 10 advanced the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3593), AHA-supported…