‘Forecaster’ notes career path of ֱ physician 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 ֱ in 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.