BLOG: Understanding international medical graduates’ challenges is ‘crucial’
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International medical graduates — physicians who complete medical school or equivalent outside of the U.S. or Canada — comprise almost one-third of all practicing U.S. oncologists.
However, the specific challenges faced by international medical graduates (IMGs) — such as residency/fellowship applications, visa-related restrictions, job search, and psychosocial and cultural struggles — are unfamiliar to many who haven’t been through the IMGs’ paths.
We saw a need to provide guidance for both IMGs, their colleagues, mentors, institutions and organizations to better understand and support this growing group of physicians to reach their maximum potential.
ASCO IMG Community of Practice
The ASCO IMG Community of Practice was established in 2022 with a mission to connect, mentor, guide, raise awareness about and find potential solutions to overcome the unique challenges facing IMGs interested in oncology.
We have so far reached hundreds of volunteer members and generated several networking, mentorship, research and advocacy initiatives.
To date, we held two in-person meetings during the past two ASCO Annual Meetings, which gave us the opportunity to further discuss our next steps with the wider community. Drawing on the collective experiences and insights of this large and diverse group, we published a manuscript at JCO Oncology Practice to celebrate IMGs’ contributions to the oncology workforce, review unique challenges IMGs face, and propose potential solutions to overcome these challenges.
IMGs are a large and growing part of the oncology workforce, playing a significant role in patient care and advancing scientific progress. This makes it essential for the broader oncology community to understand the specific challenges they face. As colleagues, we should recognize and address IMGs’ unique obstacles, offering support at a personal level.
Most of the challenges IMGs encounter — such as barriers in the fellowship application process, visa limitations and the psychosocial difficulties of leaving their support systems behind — occur during training and early-career stages.
Since this is when the need for support and advocacy is greatest, leadership and institutional support are vital in helping IMG trainees succeed. By addressing these challenges, we can unlock the full potential of this global talent pool, whose diversity of thought, culture, language and experience — combined with an immense drive to contribute to the field — enhances the oncology workforce.
‘Overarching takeaways’
Some overarching takeaways from our paper published in JCO Oncology Practice include the importance of understanding IMGs’ unique paths and working collectively to provide tailored resources and support, both at the individual and institutional level.
More specifically, during the residency and fellowship application processes, it’s crucial to consider IMGs’ personal challenges, perseverance and determination, rather than focusing on nonmodifiable factors such as country of origin, citizenship and visa requirements.
We should all become familiar with the major visa categories that our IMG colleagues and trainees are navigating and support them through the struggles related to their visa status, including match processes, job searches, and travel restrictions to and from their home countries.
From a psychosocial standpoint, we should be there for our IMG colleagues and trainees, remaining mindful of potential difficulties such as isolation, self-doubt, lack of social support and the emotional toll of being separated from loved ones.
Ongoing initiatives
I would like to express my gratitude to ASCO and the ASCO IMG Community of Practice members for their incredible support. Under the guidance of Toni K. Choueiri, MD, director of Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology and director of the kidney cancer center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and alongside my co-lead of the IMG Community of Practice, Ziad El Bakouny, MD, MSc, researcher in the department of medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we have experienced immense interest from the broader oncology community since we established the IMG Community of Practice.
Our volunteer teams are working tirelessly on several important initiatives, from outreach efforts to raise awareness among trainees and program leaderships about the challenges IMGs face, to mentorship initiatives, and conducting research to better understand IMGs’ career paths and opportunities.
These efforts will help us develop more targeted initiatives that support IMGs in their careers. We are also looking forward to welcoming new members, whose experiences and ideas will help expand our reach and shape future projects.
References:
- Dizman N, et al. JCO Oncol Pract. 2024;doi:10.1200/OP-24-00565.
- To join the ASCO IMG Community of Practice, visit: Community Home - American Society of Clinical Oncology.
For more information:
Nazli Dizman, MD, is a fellow in the division of hematology/oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She can be reached at ndizman@mdanderson.org.
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