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Can Fam Physician
Vol. 53, No. 8, August 2007, pp.1330 - 1331
Copyright © 2007 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada
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Research

Characteristics and practice patterns of international medical graduates

How different are they from those of Canadian-trained physicians?

Amardeep Thind, MD PhD, Tom Freeman, MD MClSc, Irene Cohen, MD, Cathy Thorpe, MA, Andrea Burt, MA and Moira Stewart, PhD
Dr Thind is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario in London. Dr Freeman and Dr Stewart are Professors in the Department of Family Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Dr Cohen is an Adjunct Professor and IMG Coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Ms Thorpe and Ms Burt are Research Associates in the Department of Family Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Correspondence to: Dr Amardeep Thind, Centre for Studies in Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, 245-100 Collip Circle, London, ON N6G 4X8; telephone 519 858-5028; fax 519 858-5029; e-mail athind2{at}uwo.ca

OBJECTIVE To investigate the personal characteristics and practice patterns of international medical graduates (IMGs) practising in southwestern Ontario and to compare them with the personal characteristics and practice patterns of Canadian-trained family physicians practising in the same region.

DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of data gathered from a census of family physicians.

SETTING Southwestern Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS A total of 685 family physicians.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Characteristics and practice patterns of IMG physicians and Canadian-trained physicians.

RESULTS Among all family physicians practising in southwestern Ontario, 15.3% were IMGs. The IMGs were more likely than Canadian-trained medical graduates to be older and to have been in practice longer, and less likely to have completed a family medicine residency or to have been involved in undergraduate or postgraduate teaching. The IMGs were more likely to have practised longer in their current locations and to be in solo practice and accepting new patients, but were less likely to be providing maternity and newborn care. They were also more likely than Canadian-trained medical graduates were to be serving in small towns and rural and isolated communities.

CONCLUSION The personal and practice characteristics of IMG physicians vary somewhat from those of their Canadian-trained colleagues. Policy efforts aimed at increasing and integrating IMG family physicians into the work force need to recognize these differences. Further research is needed before our results can be generalized to physicians practising beyond southwestern Ontario.






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Copyright © 2007 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada.