Foreign-trained doctors face difficulty finding residency positions

A new study published by a University of Toronto researcher sheds light on the “brain waste” phenomenon among foreign-trained doctors immigrating to Canada, whereby skilled individuals’ abilities are underutilized in their new country. Aisha Lofters’ survey of international medical graduates shows that only 55% living in Canada are currently working as physicians. Lofters also found that the success rate of Canadians who studied medicine abroad and applied for residency spots in Ontario was 20%; among immigrant international medical graduates, the success rate drops to 6%. Many respondents said they felt they were misinformed about the chances of obtaining a residency position in Canada and were forced to take “survival jobs” instead of practicing medicine. “Our findings suggest that brain waste is pervasive for physicians who migrate to Ontario and that both brain drain and brain waste have no easy or quick solutions,” says Lofters. uToronto News