Doctors from Cuba starting over in the U.S.

The New York Times had a compelling article today about Cuban doctors who have defected to America and the struggles some go through to establish themselves in the medical field in their new country. Foreign trained doctors have to complete four rigorous exams and several years in residency training before being licensed to practice in the U.S. For many Cuban doctors, lack of proficiency in English and residency programs that favor younger physicians, means that the compelling dream of coming to America will require them to make the choice to take other jobs in the medical field, such as nursing or medical technicians.

It is difficult to think about what it must be like to make that decision - to devote years to retraining to pursue that profession you have already trained for in a new home or even to give up a profession you feel called to in order to pursue new opportunities and new freedoms. The compulsion to pursue medicine, to help others in their time of need, is strong. Even for those who cannot pursue medicine in the U.S., deep down still feel like the physicians they are called and trained to be.