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The Wellness of International Medical School Graduates :

December 20, 2018

International medical school graduates (IMGs) are an important part of the workforce in the United States, whether they were born and trained outside in another country before coming to the US or whether they were US born but trained at a medical school outside of the US.

International medical school graduates (IMGs) are an important part of the workforce in the United States, whether they were born and trained outside in another country before coming to the US or whether they were US born but trained at a medical school outside of the US. Given the concerns for burnout of all physicians in this country, the American Academy of Pediatrics (10.1542/peds.2018-1953) is currently following a cohort of early career pediatricians to better understand whether they are feeling burnt out or resilient about what they do in a study called the Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study (PLACES). In this longitudinal cohort are medical school graduates who represent international-born IMGs (I-IMGs), US-born IMGs (US-IMGs), along with US medical school graduates (USMGs) (students born outside or in the US and trained at an allopathic or osteopathic medical school in the United States).  The authors surveyed all three groups regarding their demographics, work, overall satisfaction and financial happiness.  Of the 1467 pediatricians in the PLACES study, 13% were I-IMGS, 6% US-IMGs, and 81% USMGs.  Those who identify themselves as IMGs (US or non-US born), found their work to be generally rewarding but felt less likely than their US counterparts to feel their work was valued by physician colleagues and found their work less satisfying than USMGs did.  They were also more likely to be caring for patients with public insurance.

There is a lot more interesting and important data being shared in this analysis of survey results about the work experiences and overall satisfaction of IMGs.  Whether or not you are an IMG, there is more that can be done to make ongoing career pathways of IMGs more resilient and fulfilling, and this study may enable you to find ways to do that in a collaborative supportive manner with your colleagues.  There are valued “PLACES” for everyone who opts to be a pediatrician, be they IMGs or USMGs, and hopefully this study will start the process of narrowing the disparities between these groups as described in the findings of this interesting article.

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