DOL urged to retain Schedule A focus on health care shortage occupations

Image of young child and mother playing with physician

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.

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