(a) Up to 70 international medical graduates who have passed their United States medical license examination on the first attempt and who have been working in the medical field in the capacity of a medical assistant, a nurse practitioner, a nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a dental hygienist, or a quality assurance and peer review specialist for not less than three years, shall be selected to participate in a pilot program. Preference shall be given to international medical graduates who are residents of California, have experience working in communities whose language is other than English and whose culture is not from the dominant society, and have a proven level of literacy in the foreign language of a medically underserved community. (b) If there are not 70 international medical graduates who meet the criteria of subdivision (a), the remaining openings may be filled by participants who have passed the United States medical license examination on two or more attempts, have been working in the medical field in the capacity of a medical assistant, a nurse practitioner, a nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a dental hygienist, or a quality assurance and peer review specialist for not less than three years, and who pass an additional test to be determined by the medical facility and the medical school participating in the pilot program. Preference shall be given to international medical graduates who are residents of California, have experience working in communities whose language is other than English and whose culture is not from the dominant society, and have a proven level of literacy in the foreign language of a medically underserved community. (c) An international medical graduate shall not be eligible for this program if he or she has not graduated from a school in good standing that is recognized by the Medical Board of California. (d) Upon selection for the pilot program, participants may submit an application to the International Medical Graduate Liaison of the Medical Board of Californiaâs Division of Licensing, with the appropriate fee, to initiate the medical licensing review process, providing the participant time to remediate any deficiency during the three-year international medical graduates pilot program. (e) All program participants shall be required to have the foreign language fluency and the cultural knowledge necessary to serve the non-English-speaking community at the nonprofit community health center where they practice. (f) The Medical Board of California shall issue an applicant status letter to participating and qualifying international medical graduates. (g) International medical graduates shall be required to participate and satisfactorily complete a six-month orientation program that will address medical protocol, community clinic history and operations, medical administration, hospital operations and protocol, medical ethics, the California medical delivery system, health maintenance organizations and managed care practices, and pharmacology differences. International medical graduates who have passed the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) language exam shall not be required to be enrolled in English language classes. However, if a participating international medical graduate has not passed the ECFMG language exam, he or she shall be enrolled in English language acquisition classes until he or she obtains a level of English language proficiency equivalent to the ECFMG language exam. (h) (1) Upon satisfactorily completing the orientation program and the one-year residency training program, international medical graduates shall be selected by nonprofit community health centers to work in nonprofit community health centers and disproportionate share hospitals whose service areas include federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, Dental Professional Shortage Areas, Medically Underserved Areas, and Medically Underserved Populations for a period not to
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