Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed the Physician Workforce Act into law, WTVY reported June 1.
The act will do three things: nullify the requirement for an additional in-person exam for out-of-state physicians, making it easier for them to come to Alabama; allow international medical graduates to apply for a state medical license a year earlier in training; and create a program where graduate physicians — those who have completed medical school but have not yet matched to a residency program — can practice under supervising physicians as they wait to reapply for residency.
The legislation was designed to combat the state's ongoing physician shortage.