International Medical Graduates in the United States: The Hidden Workforce

One in four practicing physicians and one in four medical residents are graduates of foreign medical schools, either foreign born and trained or Americans who have gone to medical schools in other countries and returned for residency training. Because these international medical graduates have been available to fill gaps in the U.S. health care system, these physicians have had considerable impact on care both in the United States and in other countries. To date, though, little effort has been made to look at where they practice, their specialties, or the extent of their acculturation.

This project proposes to fill that gap. Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, a long-time analyst of health care workforce issues and now affiliated with Project Hope, will dedicate about one fifth of his time over the next two years to updating and improving available data about these international medical graduates and assessing the considerable policy implications raised by this sizable workforce.

Dr. Mullan will work with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the Robert Graham Center, which is the research arm of the American Academy of Family Practice, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. He will conclude his study with the publication of two articles based on data he compiles, focusing on policy issues raised by this workforce, its impact on graduate medical education, and the future of the physician workforce.