International medical graduates' experiences before and after migration: A meta-ethnography of qualitative studies

Unveiling the Invisible: Challenges Faced by Arab Women International Medical Graduates in U.S. Academia

PURPOSE

The Arab experience is understudied because until 2024 Arabs were categorized as White on the U.S. Census, leading to diminished documentation of their personal experiences. There is also little understanding of the Arab experience and its intersectionality with gender, being an international medical graduate (IMG), and working in academia. The authors studied the experience of Arab women IMGs working in the U.S. academic system.

METHOD

This qualitative study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze in-depth interview data from 20 first-generation U.S. immigrant Arab women who were IMGs. Interpretative phenomenologicalanalysis involved data familiarization, immersion, and coding. Codes were grouped into potential themes on the participants' experience. The authors explored connections between the themes and engaged in reflexive practice through memo writing and team meetings. The study was performed from November 2022-May 2023.

RESULTS

The experiences of the 20 first-generation U.S. immigrant Arab women IMGs were as diverse as the Arab identity itself but congruent with some documented IMG experiences. Political turmoil, desire for new opportunities, and career goals were all reasons that led them to emigrate, but cultural differences, isolation from their home countries, and missing family were central to their experiences. Muslim women wearing the hijab or those with heavy accents faced more microaggressions and xenophobia in academic clinical settings. Those in environments that embraced their differences and supported them described less discrimination. They all felt, nonetheless, that they benefited from training in the United States. However, they noted room for improving cultural humility in residencies and the need for a more inclusive workplace.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the visible and invisible challenges that affect Arab women IMGs' experience in the United States. Program directors and department leaders should try to learn about the backgrounds of IMGs and current geopolitical events that might affect IMGs and extend support.

A comparison of general surgery training programmes across 11 countries: improving understanding of the experience level of international medical graduates in the UK

INTRODUCTION

Within the past five years there has been a significant increase in the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) joining the United Kingdom's (UK) workforce. Having mentors and supervisors who understand the needs of IMGs and clinical and cultural differences in the workplace can benefit in the transition to working in a new country. Improving knowledge of and understanding differences between general surgical training programmes and grades across different countries could therefore aid in the support of IMGs within the UK.

METHODS

Data on general surgical training programmes of the top ten countries for the primary medical qualifications of IMGs in the UK were collected to provide comparison with the UK training programme.

RESULTS

The following countries were included: UK, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Ireland, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Romania, Iraq and South Africa. Training programme lengths ranged from 3 to 10 years. Only some training programmes provide additional training and qualification in sub-specialisation in general surgery. Other differences included a requirement for internship/non specialist training prior to training, differences in lengths of time spent in other surgical specialties and a requirement for research.

CONCLUSION

Understanding the training programmes of other countries may help UK surgeons to understand the prior experience of IMGs and enable them to provide better training and support.

International medical graduates' social connections: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Social connections in the host country improve International Medical Graduates' (IMGs') well-being, intercultural competence and performance at work but is an issue that has been largely overlooked in the academic literature and policy discussions. The aim of this study was to better understand the social connections that IMGs form by exploring this phenomenon in a UK context.

METHODS

IMGs and UK Medical Graduates (UKMGs) practising in Scotland were invited to participate. This was a qualitative study using online semi-structured interviews for data collection and reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-one participants were recruited (24 IMGs and 17 UKMGs), selected with maximum variation in terms of gender, ethnicity, speciality, grade and country of primary medical qualification. Twenty-one (58%) of the participants had experience working in other parts of the UK. Five themes were identified: (i) overcoming early isolation, IMGs strove to overcome their initial social isolation which harmed their mental well-being; (ii) where connections are made, IMGs form social connections mainly at work and within their religious communities; (iii) seeds of segregation, some IMGs found themselves outside tight UK native friendship groups. Alcohol was a socially exclusive activity for some IMGs, as were other host country cultural norms. Exclusion led IMGs to form social connections with other IMGs or other 'outsider' groups; (iv) degrees of Discrimination, discrimination and racism were experienced by some IMGs. Discrimination was individual, structural and institutional, and (v) "Open (ing) the door", participants described interventions at organisational, departmental, and individual levels to improve IMGs' ability to form social connections.

DISCUSSION

This study highlighted the challenges that IMGs face when trying to form social connections. More emphasis needs to be placed on promoting an environment where social connections, in particular between IMGs and host country natives, can flourish.

Reclaiming identities: exploring the influence of simulation on refugee doctors' workforce integration

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professionals are a precious resource, however, if they fail to integrate into the workforce, they are likely to relocate. Refugee doctors face workforce integration challenges including differences in language and culture, educational background, reduced confidence, and sense of identity. It has been proposed that simulation programmes may have the power to influence workforce integration. This study aimed to explore how an immersive simulation programme influenced workforce integration for refugee doctors joining a new healthcare system.

METHODS

Doctors were referred to a six-day immersive simulation programme by a refugee doctor charity. Following the simulation programme, they were invited to participate in the study. Semi-structured interviews, based on the 'pillars' conceptual model of workforce integration, were undertaken. Data were analysed using template analysis, with the workforce integration conceptual model forming the initial coding template. Themes and sub-themes were modified according to the data, and new codes were constructed. Data were presented as an elaborated pillars model, exploring the relationship between simulation and workforce integration.

RESULTS

Fourteen doctors participated. The 'learning pillar' comprised communication, culture, clinical skills and knowledge, healthcare systems and assessment, with a new sub-theme of role expectations. The 'connecting pillar' comprised bonds and bridges, which were strengthened by the simulation programme. The 'being pillar' encompassed the reclaiming of the doctor's identity and the formation of a new social identity as an international medical graduate. Simulation opportunities sometimes provided 'building blocks' for the pillars, but at other times opportunities were missed. There was also an example of the simulation programme threatening one of the integration pillars.

CONCLUSIONS

Opportunities provided within simulation programmes may help refugee doctors form social connections and aid learning in a variety of domains. Learning, social connections, and skills application in simulation may help doctors to reclaim their professional identities, and forge new identities as international medical graduates. Fundamentally, simulation experiences allow newcomers to understand what is expected of them. These processes are key to successful workforce integration. The simulation community should be curious about the potential of simulation experiences to influence integration, whilst also considering the possibility of unintentional 'othering' between faculty and participants.

It takes two to tango: The 'inter' in intercultural competence

Al‐Haddad and Lu highlight the importance of developing intercultural competence for healthcare students and professionals, whether migrating, visiting, or hosting people from other cultures.

Unveiling Disparities: Exploring Differential Attainment in Postgraduate Training Within Clinical Oncology

AIMS

Differential attainment (DA) in post graduate medical training is a recognised challenge and refers to unexplained variation across groups when split by several protected characteristics. The Royal College of Radiology is committed to fostering diversity, inclusivity, and equality with the goal of narrowing existing gaps and improving training outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a mixed methods study aiming to understand the causes of DA with view to helping the RCR develop strategies to address this. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 140 clinical oncology trainees in September 2022. Trainees and trainers (17 and 6 respectively) from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, took part in focus group and interviews from August to December 2022. Quantitative and qualitative data merged and interpreted.

RESULT

Results showed international medical graduates and trainees from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to encounter challenges. The qualitative findings were used to identify three themes through which these problems could be framed. The trainee as a "space invader," the hidden curriculum of clinical oncology training and the process of navigating and tacking the training journey.

CONCLUSION

Differential attainment is the product of a complex interplay between the trainee, trainer, and the training environment. Therefore, interventions must be tailored to different people and contexts. At a national level, the RCR can adopt general policies to promote this such as mentorship programmes, protected time for supervision and cultural competency training. Efficacy of proposed interventions for trial and their impact on DA should be evaluated to drive evidence-based changes.

World Psychiatric Association-Asian Journal of Psychiatry Commission on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of International Medical Graduates

Historically, doctors have migrated for a range of personal, educational, economic, and political reasons. Likewise, medical students from many countries have moved abroad to complete their training and education and may or may not return to their country of origin. Within this context, globalisation has had a major impact on medical education and healthcare workforces, contributing to recent migration trends. Globalisation is a complex phenomenon with positive and negative outcomes. For example, lower-income countries are regularly losing doctors to higher-income areas, thereby exacerbating strains on existing services. Across various national healthcare settings, migrating International Medical Graduates (IMGs) can face socioenvironmental and psychosocial pressures, which can lead to lower mental wellbeing and undermine their contributions to clinical care. Rates of stress and burnout are generally increasing for doctors and medical students. For IMGs, stressors related to migration, acculturation, and adjustment are not dissimilar to other migrants but may carry with them specific nuances. Accordingly, this Commission will explore the history of IMG trends and the challenges faced by IMGs, proposing recommendations and solutions to support their mental health and wellbeing.

Facilitating international medical graduates' acculturation: From theory to practice

CONTEXT

International medical graduates (IMGs) are forming an ever-increasing proportion of the medical workforce. Much of the discourse around IMGs is about their performance at work and interventions to improve it. This discourse, however, is rarely situated in the wider context of the experiences of IMGs as migrants despite the wider context of migration and acculturation being likely to have a significant impact on IMGs' well-being and, ultimately, performance at work.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this article were to (1) raise awareness of the inextricable broader context within which IMGs are situated as migrants; (2) outline the impact this context might have on IMGs' performance; (3) discuss literature from the social sciences related to acculturation that could better inform the way we view IMG transition and performance; (4) highlight how acculturation theory can help inform the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions to facilitate the transition of IMGs into the host country and the workplace; (5) list some interventions that can provide support; and (6) suggest theory driven lines of enquiry to study acculturation in IMGs and the impact related issues might have on performance.

METHODS

This is a cross-cutting edge review drawing on selected theory and literature from the social sciences to explore its relevance to IMGs.

CONCLUSION

The broader context of migration and acculturation should not be ignored when discussing IMG performance in the workplace or when instigating interventions to improve it. There is an urgent need to further evaluate the impact this broader context has on IMGs' well-being and performance.

Cross-cultural code-switching - the impact on international medical graduates in New Zealand

BACKGROUND

New Zealand relies on International Medical Graduates (IMGs); however, the retention of IMGs is not optimal. This research uses a lens of cross-cultural code-switching to explore how professional and cultural differences impact on International Medical Graduates' (IMGs') journeys to practise effectively and remain in New Zealand.

METHODS

Utilising theory-informing inductive analysis within a constructivist approach, framework analysis was conducted following 14 face-to-face interviews with IMGs. The analysis then explored the degree to which their experiences could be explained by cross-cultural code-switching's psychological challenges (authenticity, competence, and resentment).

RESULTS

Analysis showed there was an expectation for IMGs to code-switch. The greater the cultural and professional difference of IMGs (compared to New Zealand), the greater the intensity of psychological challenges experienced when switching. Moreover, IMGs received minimal support, making it difficult to overcome psychological challenges, especially the competence challenge. This led to feelings of frustration and vulnerability. Code-switching could also explain why complaints about IMGs were more likely when IMGs were stressed or tired.

CONCLUSION

Cross-cultural code-switching can be used to explain and identify how cultural differences cause psychological challenges. These findings inform how programmes can better support IMGs in orientation and ongoing training. Additionally, establishing, and allocating IMG cultural mentors would assist in addressing IMGs' vulnerability and isolation. With this support, the journey may prove more manageable and encourage IMGs to continue practising in their adopted country.

The experiences of migrant pharmacists: A phenomenographical study

Objectives

To understand the experiences of migrant pharmacists in Ireland as they applied for recognition of their qualifications and registration with the national accrediting body.

Methods

Semi structured interviews were conducted with eight participants recruited using purposive sampling. Interview transcripts were subject to a phenomenographic study using a stepwise, inductive approach.

Results

Data analysis led to the development of a number of categories or descriptions of understanding that provided insight into the ways that participants experienced and conceptualised the phenomenon under study. Five categories of description were identified. These are (1) the migrator, (2) the navigator, (3) the student again, and (4) the registrant. For some, an additional category, (5) the mentee, was experienced. Within these categories, variation in participants' experiences was explored.

Conclusions

Participants reported a variety of reasons for migration, and upon embarking on the process, applicants were required to take on a variety of roles, with variation within each role dependent on a number of personal and external factors. Applicants faced personal, administrative, experiential and regulatory hurdles prior to registration, all of which should inform the development of future iterations of this and similar processes.

Developing strategies to improve the sense of belonging and mitigate tokenism

Despite the increase in DEI initiatives and the rising social awareness, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness are still scarce in many work environments. In the process of implementing a diverse group in the workplace and training programs, retention efforts should always follow recruitment strategies; it is crucial to establish an environment that offers recruited women and minorities a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Literature shows that diversity and belonging benefit not only the individual, but also the organization, society, and health care system. Many strategies to foster a sense of belonging in the workplace have been suggested, including, but not limited to, mentorship, sponsorship, affinity groups, dashboards, and surveys. Leaderships should acknowledge DEI initiatives, promoting efforts to enhance inclusiveness and mitigate tokenism. Amid DEI criticism and backlash, it is important to continue to promote education and positive discussions and aim for cultural changes targeting rooted systemic racism and discrimination, which continue to impose an obstacle to DEIB achievements.

Implementation of virtual OSCE in health professions education: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been widely used in health professions education since the 1970s. The global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic restricted in-person assessments and medical educators globally sought alternative means to assess and certify students and trainees to meet the acute demand for health-care workers. One such solution was through virtual OSCE (vOSCE), which modified traditional in-person OSCE using videoconference platforms. This meta-ethnography sought to synthesise qualitative literature on candidates' and assessors' experiences of vOSCE to evaluate whether it may have a role in future assessment practices.

METHODS

In June 2022, we systematically searched PsycINFO, Medline and ERIC for peer-reviewed qualitative and mixed-methods articles that described candidates' and assessors' experiences of virtual OSCE in health professions education. Of 1069 articles identified, 17 were synthesised using meta-ethnography.

RESULTS

The final synthesis represented 1190 candidates and assessors from faculties of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and osteopathy. We developed our findings into four key concepts. 'Strengthening confidence in a virtual environment' highlighted attempts to overcome and mitigate concerns associated with transitioning from in-person to virtual assessment. 'Understanding the scope of use as an assessment' reflected on the suitability of vOSCE in assessing various skills. 'Refining operational processes' emphasised the technical challenges of implementing vOSCE and impacts on accessibility and resources. 'Envisioning its future role' considered the applicability of vOSCE in the climate of rapid development in telehealth.

CONCLUSION

This meta-ethnography highlighted that although vOSCE was primarily considered a temporary and crisis response, candidates and assessors recognised positive, as well as negative, consequences of the transition towards them. Moving forward, medical education policymakers should carefully consider the extent to which elements of vOSCE could be incorporated into assessment systems, particularly in light of the rise of telehealth in clinical practice.

Health Care Providers Working Cross-Culturally: Pitfalls, Pearls, and Preparation Resources for Culture Shock

Health care providers engaging in cross-cultural work will likely experience culture shock, a psychological, behavioral, and physiologic response to new cultural environments that can significantly affect travelers. Culture shock has the potential for both negative and positive outcomes. Well-being, health, and professionalism can be negatively influenced during the peak of culture shock, but the experience may also positively promote transformative learning and professional identity formation. Culture shock has been carefully researched for different types of sojourners, such as undergraduate students and business personnel, but minimally for health care providers. This article defines culture shock, describes different health care-related cross-cultural opportunities, identifies factors contributing to culture shock, describes complexities related to measuring culture shock, depicts common cross-cultural challenges encountered by traveling health care providers, and offers tangible guidance to help prepare for culture shock. We conclude with a call for further research and resource development to support the well-being of an increasingly global health care workforce. [Pediatr Ann. 2023;52(9):e335-e343.].

We want to help: ethical challenges of medical migration and brain waste during a pandemic

Health worker shortages in many countries are reaching crisis levels, exacerbated by factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In New Zealand, the medical specialists union has called for a health workforce emergency to be declared, yet at the same time, many foreign-trained healthcare workers are unable to stay in the country or unable to work. While their health systems differ, countries such as New Zealand, the USA and the UK at least partially rely on international medical graduates (IMGs) to ensure access to health services, particularly in underserved communities. This paper focuses on the challenges faced by many IMGs, particularly those that constrain their capacity to live and work in the countries that rely on their skills. These challenges give rise to two ethical problems. First, they represent a failure of reciprocity towards IMGs; second, they represent a source of harm, both to IMGs themselves and to communities whose healthcare service depends on contributions made by IMGs. We argue that brain waste and disvaluing the contributions of IMGs and other foreign-trained health professionals have significant costs for maintaining a functional healthcare system, costs which must be adequately recognised and counted.

"My Assessments Are Biased!" Measurement and Sociocultural Approaches to Achieve Fairness in Assessment in Medical Education

Assessing learners is foundational to their training and developmental growth throughout the medical education continuum. However, growing evidence shows the prevalence and impact of harmful bias in assessments in medical education, accelerating the urgency to identify solutions. Assessment bias presents a critical problem for all stages of learning and the broader educational system. Bias poses significant challenges to learners, disrupts the learning environment, and threatens the pathway and transition of learners into health professionals. While the topic of assessment bias has been examined within the context of measurement literature, limited guidance and solutions exist for learners in medical education, particularly in the clinical environment. This article presents an overview of assessment bias, focusing on clinical learners. A definition of bias and its manifestations in assessments are presented. Consequences of assessment bias are discussed within the contexts of validity and fairness and their impact on learners, patients/caregivers, and the broader field of medicine. Messick's unified validity framework is used to contextualize assessment bias; in addition, perspectives from sociocultural contexts are incorporated into the discussion to elaborate the nuanced implications in the clinical training environment. Discussions of these topics are conceptualized within the literature and the interventions used to date. The article concludes with practical recommendations to overcome bias and to develop an ideal assessment system. Recommendations address articulating values to guide assessment, designing assessment to foster learning and outcomes, attending to assessment procedures, promoting continuous quality improvement of assessment, and fostering equitable learning and assessment environments.

Inequitable treatment as perceived by international medical graduates (IMGs): a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review seeks to detail experiences of inequitable treatment, as self-reported by international medical graduates (IMGs), across time and location.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Three academic medical databases (MEDLINE, SCOPUS and PSYCINFO) and grey literature (GOOGLE SCHOLAR) were systematically searched for studies reporting first-hand IMG experiences of perceived inequitable treatment in the workplace: discrimination, prejudice or bias. Original (in English) qualitative, quantitative, mixed studies or inquiry-based reports from inception until 31 December 2022, which documented direct involvement of IMGs in the data were eligible for inclusion in the review. Systematic reviews, scoping reviews, letters, editorials, news items and commentaries were excluded. Study characteristics and common themes were identified and analysed through an iterative process.

RESULTS

We found 33 publications representing 31 studies from USA, Australia, UK, Canada, Germany, Finland, South Africa, Austria, Ireland and Saudi Arabia, published between 1982 and 2022. Common themes identified by extraction were: (1) inadequate professional recognition, including unmatched assigned work or pay; (2) perceived lack of choice and opportunities such as limited freedoms and perceived control over own future; (3) marginalisation-subtle interpersonal exclusions, stereotypes and stigma; (4) favouring of local graduates; (5) verbal insults, culturally or racially insensitive or offensive comments; and (6) harsher sanctions. Other themes identified were effects on well-being and proposed solutions to inequity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found evidence that IMGs believe they are subject to numerous common inequitable workplace experiences and that these experiences have self-reported repercussions on well-being and career trajectory. Further research is needed to substantiate correlations and causality in relation to outcomes of well-being and differential career attainment. Furthermore, research into support for IMGs and the creation of more equitable workforce environments is also recommended.

Burnout in International Medical Graduate Trainees in the United Kingdom Compared to Domestic Medical Graduate Trainees. Analysis of Data from the GMC's National Training Survey in 2019 and 2021

Introduction

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) have lower educational attainment and a higher rate of complaints against them compared to Domestic Medical Graduates (DMG). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of burnout on these adverse outcomes experienced by IMGs.

Methods

Every year, the General Medical Council (GMC) conducts the National Training Survey of all doctors in the United Kingdom which includes optional questions on work-related burnout from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Work-related burnout data for doctors in training, linked to country of Primary Medical Qualification were obtained from the GMC for the years 2019 and 2021. Burnout scores of IMGs and DMGs were compared using Chi².

Results

The total number of eligible participants in 2019 and 2021 was 56,397 and 61,313 respectively. The response rates for all doctors in training to the CBI were 35,739 (63.4%) in 2019, and 28,310 (46.2%) in 2021. IMGs were at a lower risk of burnout compared to DMGs, 2,343 (42.9%) vs 15,497 (51.2%), Odds Ratio (OR) 0.72 (CI 0.68-0.76, P < 0.001) in 2019; and 2,774 (50.2%) vs 13,000 (57.1%), OR 0.76 (CI 0.71-0.80, P < 0.001) in 2021.

Discussion

IMGs, as a group, appear to be at a lower risk of work-related burnout compared to DMGs. Burnout is unlikely to be contributing to lower educational attainment and higher rates of complaints experienced by IMGs compared to DMGs.