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Florida Department of Health

State 20 J-1 Visa Waiver Program Guidelines

The Department of Health (DOH) Health Professional Recruitment Office administers the State 20 J-1 Visa Waiver Program.  Our goal is to improve access to primary medical care services and address health status disparities within federally designated health professional shortage areas.

 Program Priorities

1.  To assist public and not-for-profit employers in meeting the unmet primary care needs of underserved areas.  These qualified employers are county health departments, community health centers, homeless sites, or public health trust funded facilities (hospitals) providing outpatient care in federally designated health professional shortage areas (HPSA) or medically underserved areas (MUA).  Other providers of primary care services may be considered, on a case by case basis, when access to primary care is limited and disparities in health status exist.
   

2. To place a maximum of 20 primary care providers within the established time period of October 1 through September 30.  The department will review each application to ensure placement meets primary care grant objectives.  A limit of two J-1 placements will be accepted from a single organization.
   

3.  To ensure that public and not-for-profit agencies have priority for the 20 available placements.  Annually, one placement will be reserved for the Department of Corrections (DOC) and one placement reserved for a community mental health center.

 Eligibility for J-1 Visa Waiver

1.  Be board certified or eligible in a primary care specialty; i. e. family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, or psychiatry. The greatest demand in Florida underserved areas is for family practitioners.
   

2. Be Florida licensed or have applied for a license.  A copy of the license or receipt of application is required to accompany the curriculum vitae.
   

3.  Have negotiated a contract for not less than 40 hours a week for three years for the purpose of providing not less than 50% of the contracted hours in primary medical care in a federally designated shortage area (HPSA or MUA).

 Program Process

1.   Completed waiver applications are accepted from the physician and reviewed by the department for compatibility with the program priorities.
   

2.  Vacancies not committed by August 15 are open to other employers providing primary medical care to medically underserved areas.  Additional information is required for placement in other practice settings.  

      Department of  Health
 Division of Medical Quality Assurance
Board of Medicine
Bin C03, 4052 Bald Cypress Way
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1753
(Phone No. 850-245-4131) 
or  www.doh.state.fl.us/MQA.

DW/M:J-1Guidelines?01/10/01