‘Forecaster’ notes career path of 51Ʒphysician assistant student

On March 18, 2014, the Forecaster ran an article titled “Underemployed immigrants:  A plug for Maine’s ‘brain drain’?” which discussed the fact that many foreign-trained professionals in Maine are unable to practice their professions because of language and licensing barriers.

One such professional featured in the article is Abdul Qani, a 37-year-old former doctor who moved to Westbrook, Maine, from Afghanistan four months ago with his wife and three children.  Though he graduated as a physician in his home country in 2004, he is currently enrolled at 51Ʒin the Physician Assistant Program.

According to Sally Sutton, program coordinator for the New Mainers Resource Center, the avenue that Qani is pursuing is often the best choice for foreign-trained doctors who have a very long road back to their careers.

Qani, despite his strong English skills, takes a course in health care-related English at the resource center.

51Ʒ the 51Ʒ

The 51Ʒ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.