Accessibility Barriers Faced by Internationally Educated Allied Health Professionals When Trying to Get Licensure and Enter the U.S. Workforce Elham Sadeghein * Project Mentor(s): Lynn Swedberg Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHPs) face significant barriers when entering the U.S. workforce. Despite strong education, clinical experience they are required to repeat years of education, navigate complex licensing systems, and meet unclear expectations. This process leads to financial strain, loss of professional identity, and delayed workforce participation. These challenges are not caused by individual limitations, but by systemic barriers shaped by discrimination, structural racism, and ableism within educational and licensing systems, per literatures. IEHPs are often judged based on language, cultural differences, or unfamiliarity with U.S. system rather than their actual competence. Therefore, many experience occupational deprivation, where they are unable to engage in meaningful professional work and are pushed into unrelated jobs to survive. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework used to understand barriers as environmental, rather than individual problems which include credentialing delays, discrimination, ableism, and exclusion. Evidence suggests that mentorship, competency-based bridging, and simulation-based training can support workforce integration without lowering standards. This project proposes developing an accessible, affordable bridge program that recognizes prior education while focusing on U.S. specific standards, ethics, laws, and supervised practice. Its goal is to reduce unnecessary repetition and support a faster, more equitable pathway to licensure. Ultimately, this work emphasizes critical tension; IEHPs are bound by a professional oath to care for others, yet laws prevent them from practicing. Addressing these barriers is not only an issue of accessibility, but also of equity, workforce sustainability, and social justice—ensuring that IEHPs can contribute meaningfully to U.S. healthcare. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation (May 20, 9:30am–5:00pm) Keywords: Internationally Educated Healthcare Profession, Ablesim, Licensing, Workforce, Discrimination SOURCE Form ID: 250
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