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Identifying and Addressing Stresses in International Medical Graduates

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Abstract

Objectives

International medical graduates (IMGs), by definition, move from the country in which they received their training to another country in which to train and/or settle down. This process of migration and subsequent adjustment can lead to a number of issues that affect personal functioning and response to the new country.

Method

The authors carried out a literature review to ascertain which factors may cause stress and which factors may contribute to successful adjustment by the IMGs.

Results

The reasons for migration by IMGs can be political, educational, or economic. Each reason brings with it a series of difficulties, both for the individual and the society to which they move, as well as the society they leave behind. It is inevitable that acculturation and settling down will raise specific issues in the functioning of the IMGs.

Conclusions

In this article, the authors highlight some of the factors related to migration by IMGs and make suggestions on how to support them and help reduce their stress.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychiatry, HSRD, London, UK

    Gurvinder Kalra M.D.,  Dinesh K. Bhugra M.A., M.Sc., M.Phil., M.B.B.S., FR & Nilesh Shah M.D.

  2. LTM Medical College and Hospital, UK

    Gurvinder Kalra M.D.,  Dinesh K. Bhugra M.A., M.Sc., M.Phil., M.B.B.S., FR & Nilesh Shah M.D.

Authors
  1. Gurvinder Kalra M.D.
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  2. Dinesh K. Bhugra M.A., M.Sc., M.Phil., M.B.B.S., FR
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  3. Nilesh Shah M.D.
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Kalra, G., Bhugra, D.K. & Shah, N. Identifying and Addressing Stresses in International Medical Graduates. Acad Psychiatry 36, 323–329 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.11040085

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.11040085

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