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International Medical Graduates: Changes in Characteristics Over Time
International Medical Graduates (IMGs—physicians trained in medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada) currently account for a quarter of all the active physicians within the U.S., and provide considerable amounts of care in rural areas. Using data at five-year intervals from the American Medical Association from 1981 through 2001, data from the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and data from the Area Resource Files of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, this study describes changes over time in IMGs’ country of education, demographics, type of practice, specialty, and propensity to practice in needy locations since 1981. These findings have been summarized in working paper #102, and presented at national and international meetings. It has been published in a proceedings from one of those presentations (see Hart et al., 2006).
Publications
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International Medical Graduate (IMG) Physicians in the U.S.: Changes Since 1981
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Susan M. Skillman, A. Hagopian, M. Fordyce, M. Thompson, R. Konrad
Citation: In National Health Workforce Assessment of the Past and Agenda for the Future: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Paris: Centre de Sociologie et de Demographie Medicales
Date: 2006
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International Medical Graduate Physicians in the U.S.: Changes Since 1981
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Susan M. Skillman, Amy Hagopian, Meredith A. Fordyce, Matthew J. Thompson, Thomas R. Konrad
Report Number: Working Paper No. 102
Date: 03 / 2005
The U.S. relies on international medical graduates (IMGs) to provide a significant portion of the country's health care, including generalist care and service to underserved populations. Understanding the trends in IMG migration and practice is important for determining how best to train an adequate supply of physicians with appropriate skills for the U.S. Key findings show that since 1981, India, the Philippines, Mexico and the Republic of Korea have remained leading countries in which IMGs in the U.S. attended medical school, and most IMGs are located in 10 U.S. states. Relatively fewer IMGs are now working in hospitals than 20 years ago. Currently IMGs are only a little more likely to be generalists than U.S. medical school graduates (USMGs).IMGs have remained less likely than USMGs to practice in rural areas, but among rural physicians, a greater proportion of IMGs practice in Health Professional Shortage Areas than of USMGs.
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