IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3503-d772195.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Lost in Transition: The Need for a Strategic Approach to Facilitate Job Market Integration of Internationally Educated Physicians through Alternative Careers

Author

Listed:
  • Tanvir C. Turin

    (Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
    Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
    The O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
    The Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada)

  • Nashit Chowdhury

    (Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
    Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
    The Newcomer Research Network, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
    Alberta International Medical Graduates Association, Calgary, AB T2E 3K8, Canada)

  • Deidre Lake

    (Alberta International Medical Graduates Association, Calgary, AB T2E 3K8, Canada)

Abstract

Skilled migration has been an important part of the socioeconomic development and progression of many industrialised Western countries. However, successful migration includes facilitating sociocultural and professional environments, policies, and practices in a way that utilizes the skills of migrants appropriately. Internationally educated physicians (IEPs) are an important part of the health and wellness care program of these countries. Nevertheless, because of regulations and limited available positions, many of these migrated physicians find they cannot enter into the healthcare workforce as practicing physicians. Utilizing their health-related knowledge and skills through nonphysician careers in health and wellness is a beneficial way to integrate these highly skilled professionals into a country’s socioeconomic flow. Despite the availability of alternative careers for IEPs, we identified that these paths are often not explored and facilitated, resulting in un/underemployment and wastage of these highly skilled human resources. A lack of willingness among IEPs, under/overestimation of their transferable skills by themselves and by potential employers, and a lack of strategic support and career guidance are prominent obstacles. A collaborative approach from multiple sectors, including academics, integration service providers, and policy makers, is needed to create awareness of these alternative opportunities and facilitation of the socioeconomic integration of IEPs.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanvir C. Turin & Nashit Chowdhury & Deidre Lake, 2022. "Lost in Transition: The Need for a Strategic Approach to Facilitate Job Market Integration of Internationally Educated Physicians through Alternative Careers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-5, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3503-:d:772195
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3503/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3503/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karolina Socha-Dietrich & Jean-Christophe Dumont, 2021. "International migration and movement of nursing personnel to and within OECD countries - 2000 to 2018: Developments in countries of destination and impact on countries of origin," OECD Health Working Papers 125, OECD Publishing.
    2. Karolina Socha-Dietrich & Jean-Christophe Dumont, 2021. "International migration and movement of doctors to and within OECD countries - 2000 to 2018: Developments in countries of destination and impact on countries of origin," OECD Health Working Papers 126, OECD Publishing.
    3. Marie-Jeanne Blain & Sylvie Fortin & Fernando Alvarez, 2017. "Professional Journeys of International Medical Graduates in Quebec: Recognition, Uphill Battles, or Career Change," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 223-247, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohammad M. H. Raihan & Nashit Chowdhury & Tanvir C. Turin, 2023. "Low Job Market Integration of Skilled Immigrants in Canada: The Implication for Social Integration and Mental Well-Being," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Sabina Kubiciel-Lodzińska & Jolanta Maj, 2021. "High-Skilled vs. Low-Skilled Migrant Women: the Use of Competencies and Knowledge—Theoretical and Political Implications: an Example of the Elderly Care Sector in Poland," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1551-1571, December.
    3. Tanvir C. Turin & Nashit Chowdhury & Deidre Lake, 2023. "Alternative Careers toward Job Market Integration: Barriers Faced by International Medical Graduates in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-19, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3503-:d:772195. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.