The “Brain Drain”: Factors influencing physician migration to Canada

Abstract

Context: Higher income countries have an average physician density of 300 physicians per 100,000 people. In stark contrast, lower income countries have an average physician density of 17 physicians per 100,000 people. A major cause of this discrepancy is the migration of healthcare professionals from lower income to higher income countries, a phenomenon colloquially known as the "brain drain". Objective: To explore factors that led International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians to leave their home countries and migrate to Canada. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire with a mix of openand close-ended questions was sent to 500 randomly selected IMG physicians practicing in Ontario, Canada. Results were analyzed using a mixed-method design utilizing both descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis approach. Results: 39 physicians met inclusion criteria and completed the survey. The majority were 50 years or older, and over 60% were male. The most common reason for emigration from their home country was the socioeconomic and/or political situation, and the most common reason for selecting Canada was family issues. Suggestions for how brain drain could be stemmed fell into three broad categories: 1) more accurate information about lack of opportunities in Canada, 2) more continuing medical education opportunities in home countries, and 3) address issues such as safety and quality of life in home countries. Conclusions: This survey provides insights into the reasons for emigration and immigration for international medical graduates.The results of this survey can assist stakeholders in working toward appropriate and acceptable solutions to the brain drain.

“Brain drain” and “brain waste”: experiences of international medical graduates in Ontario

“… 11 In our previous survey of IMGs who were fully licensed and working in independent practice in Ontario, physicians felt that the best way to stem brain drain from lower-income countries would be to include more continuing medical education opportunities in source countries, addressing issues such as safety and quality of life, and importantly, more accurate information about the lack of opportunities in Canada. 10 …”

“…Most questions were close-ended, but open-ended questions allowed participants to describe influential push and pull factors, challenges they had faced in trying to obtain a residency training spot, activities they had participated in while waiting for a residency spot, and any recruitment methods they may have encountered, and to make suggestions regarding how low-income and middle-income countries could retain physicians and other health professionals. The survey was created based on the existing literature, particularly with regard to causes for physician migration, and was an adaptation of our previously published survey, which had been pretested for clarity, relevance of questions, and survey duration with staff physicians in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at St Michael’s Hospital who had global health expertise and/or were foreign-trained 10. The survey took approximately 10 minutes to complete.…”

“…The survey was created based on the existing literature, particularly with regard to causes for physician migration, and was an adaptation of our previously published survey, which had been pretested for clarity, relevance of questions, and survey duration with staff physicians in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at St Michael’s Hospital who had global health expertise and/or were foreign-trained. 10 The survey took approximately 10 minutes to complete. In total, 483 survey responses were collected over a 2-month period (February 2013 to April 2013).…”

Factors affecting intent to immigration among Iranian health workers in 2016

“…Variables such as social, cultural, economic, professional issues, bureaucracy and globalization are some causes of migration of skilled human resources ( 10 , 11 ). Lufterz et al, conducted a study in 2013 in which they found that the most common causes of migration were socioeconomic and political, and that the most important reason for selecting migration to Canada was family issues ( 12 ). Nouri Hekmat et al, revealed that from the viewpoint of students of Iran University of Medical Sciences, important factors affecting migration included economic and education considerations as well as administrative, professional, globalization, social and cultural factors ( 13 ).…”

New Immigrant Health Professional’s Individual, Societal and Economic Impact of Ryerson University’s Internationally Trained Medical Doctors (ITMDs) Bridging Program: Results from a Pilot Bridge Training Program at the Chang School of Continuing Education

“…Ontario is home to a large number of internationally trained medical doctors (ITMDs). Data from 2014 indicate that Ontario may have 6,000 ITMDs (Lofters, Slater, & Thulien, 2013;Taghizadegan, 2013). Despite the influx of highly educated ITMDs, a multitude of barriers prevent ITMDs from securing employment as medical doctors.…”