AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD, issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s inability to pass any of the legislative proposals that included a permanent legislative solution for individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status:
“It is incredibly disheartening that the Senate failed this week to come to an agreement that would provide a permanent legislative remedy for individuals with DACA status.
As college students look toward medical school, and medical students prepare for their residency training, unless Congress acts, those with DACA status could be prevented from completing the necessary requirements to fulfill their lifelong goal of pursuing medicine or science. At the same time, patients in underserved communities could be denied the care they deserve since Dreamers are more likely to practice in those areas.
Not only does this uncertainty for Dreamers have an impact on the health professions and biomedical research workforces, and the patients they serve, it continues to have a negative impact on our students and trainees. In addition to the pressures of medical school and residency training, these individuals must face the added stress of not knowing what their status will be in the next year, or even the next month.
We strongly encourage Congress and the administration to come together in a bipartisan manner to provide long-term stability to individuals with DACA status.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health care through innovative medical education, cutting-edge patient care, and groundbreaking medical research. Its members are all 154 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 80 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC serves the leaders of America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and their more than 173,000 full-time faculty members, 89,000 medical students, 129,000 resident physicians, and more than 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences.