Some foreign-trained physicians could skip residency to practice medicine in Florida

One of the ways the Florida Senate’s ‘Live Healthy’ initiative could increase the supply of doctors is by creating another licensure pathway for physicians trained outside of the U.S.

As lawmakers started looking into the state of Florida’s healthcare workforce ahead of this year’s legislative session, it became apparent that physicians would not be able to keep up with the growing and aging population.

Part of the problem is that Florida’s physicians are also aging. Nearly 34 percent of them are over 60 years old and one in 10 plan to retire in the next five years, according to an analysis from Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit research institute.