Survey shows high retention of Utah’s Conrad State 30/J-1 physicians 

Physicians who participate in Utah’s Conrad State 30/J-1 visa waiver (or J-1 program) say the program is a success and new data from the Provider Retention & Information System Management  (PRISM) supports that belief. 

After international medical graduates finish their residency or medical school, they are required to live in their country of origin for at least 2 years. The J-1 visa waiver is a temporary visitor visa which allows foreign medical graduates who participate in graduate medical education programs in the US to stay here to work. The  J-1 waives the 2-year requirement to return to their country of origin, in exchange for 3 years of service to underserved patients.

Data from a survey of Utah J-1 visa recipients gives us some important insights into the success of this program.

  • Of the doctors who came to Utah on a J-1 visa waiver, 80% plan to stay for at least 2 more years. Utah’s retention rate for J-1 physicians is almost double the national average. 
  • The J-1 program is intended to improve access to healthcare, especially for underserved populations. Data shows more than 60% of patients served by physicians in Utah’s J-1 program were uninsured or covered by Medicaid or Medicare. 
  • 100% of Utah’s J-1 physicians who responded say they’re “satisfied” with Utah’s program and nearly one third are “very satisfied.” Utah’s results are favorable when compared with the US since only 67% of responding US doctors were satisfied with their states’ program. 
  • Participants in Utah’s J-1 program were more satisfied with their workplace culture than the national average. All of Utah’s physicians reported a strong bond with patients. This bond was important to motivate them. 
  • Utah performed better than the nation for community acceptance. Yet, the state still has room to improve when it comes to welcoming J-1 physicians to the community.

“We are proud of the strengths of Utah’s J-1 program,” said Marc Watterson, office director, Primary Care  and Rural Health.  “While we are doing better than the national average, PRISM data also shows opportunities for growth. We look forward to working with hospitals and healthcare systems to encourage improvements in workplace culture, community support, and work/life harmony, furthering opportunities to retain these valuable providers. “

PRISM is a survey of the most recent 3 years of program participants. It is a collaboration of State Primary Care Offices, Offices of Rural Health, Area Health Education Centers and other organizations that have partnered to collect data to identify and document outcomes to enhance the retention of clinicians. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services contracts with PRISM to collect data about the success of our provider incentive programs.