Nearly three years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, Ramin Amiri left Kabul for the United States with his wife and four children.
The 52-year-old physician didn’t just leave behind a home and relatives in the beleaguered country. He also left behind a medical career that required a nearly identical amount of schooling and training as in the U.S., including college, medical school and a four-year dermatology residency.
Amiri worked at Afghan National Police Hospital in Kabul for about two decades, primarily treating police officers and their families.
He said he feared retaliation from the Taliban because of his ties to the former U.S.-backed government’s security forces.
“Everyone who worked for the military or police was a target for the Taliban,” he said.
In August 2024, the Amiri family arrived in Las Vegas, where they had relatives. Amiri’s wife later found work at a hospital, and their children enrolled in school.
For Amiri, however, returning to medicine proved difficult. The former dermatology director now works in a lounge at Harry Reid International Airport.
A new Nevada law could give him a path back to medicine — and help other experienced foreign-trained physicians do the same in a state struggling with one of the worst doctor shortages in the country.
A new route into Nevada healthcare
Nevada has struggled for years to build a physician workforce large enough to serve its growing population. In 2023, Nevada ranked 49th nationally for physicians per capita, down from 45th in 2020, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine estimated last year that the state would need about 2,300 additional physicians to reach the national average.
Senate Bill 124 created Nevada’s Transitional Limited Physician license, allowing qualifying foreign-trained physicians to practice under the supervision of a licensed physician without repeating a U.S. residency. The Nevada Legislature unanimously approved of the bill in 2025 and Gov. Joe Lombardo signed it into law effective July 1.
“The idea is this is sort of a quasi-residency. They’ve done training in their home country,” said Sarah Bradley, deputy executive director for the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners. “We don’t know the level of their postgraduate training, so the idea is to recreate that in a different capacity for them.”
Applicants must pass U.S. licensing exams, verify their credentials, meet education and English-language requirements, and find a qualifying employer. After about two years of supervised practice, they may be eligible for an unrestricted license.
Patrick Kelly, president and CEO of the Nevada Hospital Association, said the new pathway could help increase Nevada’s physician workforce, but noted it is one of several approaches being used to bring more doctors to the state.
More physicians “increases access to healthcare,” Kelly said.
130 Nevadans could qualify
The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners had received four applications as of Aug. 19. Two applicants had only a few forms left to submit and were expected to receive licenses once those requirements were completed, while the other two had additional application requirements outstanding, according to the board.
Nevada already had limited licensing options for foreign-trained physicians, but those pathways typically required some U.S. or Canadian residency training. A separate law that took effect in January expanded recognition of postgraduate training in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, generally allowing qualifying physicians to pursue a regular license without repeating a residency or facing the transitional pathway’s two-year supervision requirement.
The Governor’s Office for New Americans had identified about 130 foreign-trained physicians who may qualify for the new transitional pathway, director Iris Ramos Jones said.
“When you come to this country as an immigrant, sometimes there is no path, and your education doesn’t count all the time,” Jones said.
For Amiri, however, there is a catch: dermatology is not currently an eligible specialty.
For now, transitional physicians may only practice in internal medicine, family medicine or pediatrics, though state health officials said they could expand the eligible specialties in the future.
Starting over
Amiri’s interest in dermatology stems from his own personal experience. As a young man, he developed psoriasis, a chronic skin condition. It was an experience that inspired him to pursue the specialty, he said.
Amiri graduated from medical school in 2003.
“People need help. I like to help people,” he said.
Amiri said he has spoken with the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners about his specialty and is willing to pursue another field if it gives him a way back into medicine.
“If I get the chance, I will go back to dermatology,” he said.
But he has not yet applied for the transitional license. Amiri estimated he needs about $1,250 for credential-related expenses and testing, which he is saving for as he plans to apply for the transitional license within six months.
He is also taking free English classes at the College of Southern Nevada to prepare for the possibility of treating patients.
“When I came here, my English was very bad, but now it’s a little better,” he said.
Amiri said coming to Las Vegas also meant a better future for his family, particularly his wife and two daughters, whose futures and ability to participate in public life were derailed by Taliban rule.
“No work, no school, no university,” he said. “Nothing.”
Closer to the finish line
James Lee is poised to become one of the first physicians licensed through Nevada’s new transitional pathway and is awaiting final sign-offs from state health officials.
Lee’s interest in medicine began as a child when his mother had cancer. He remembers watching his father’s reaction whenever the doctor walked into the room.
“I could see my dad’s face just kind of pop up, and he was so happy,” Lee, 41, said. “I wanted to be that guy.”
He graduated from medical school in the Philippines in 2007, completed a year of postgraduate training and began practicing primary care there in 2009.
Lee tried to match into a U.S. residency for three years starting in 2013 but was unsuccessful. After settling in the Las Vegas Valley, where his wife grew up, Lee remained in healthcare and worked as a consultant. He now serves as the office manager of Calderon Medical Group, overseeing the primary care practice’s business operations.
If state officials approve his application, Lee plans to practice primary care at Calderon.
“I’m ready to see patients,” Lee said.
Contact Lucas Hellberg at lhellberg@reviewjournal.com.
