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Doctors trained in other countries could soon practice medicine in Arizona

A bill making its way through the Arizona Legislature could allow doctors who are trained in other countries to practice medicine here in the state.

David Voepel is with the Arizona Healthcare Association, which represents skilled nursing facilities.

"We know there are a lot of countries out there that have better programming and better education than we do in some cases," Voepel said. "So, why aren't we granting them provisional licenses? That's what the legislation would do next week. It's just the beginning of it."

In 2022, the American Medical Association said one in five doctors say they will leave their current practice within two years.

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KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.