title: Social rates of return to investment in skills assessment and residency training of international medical graduates in Alberta.
abstract: Governments and physician organizations in Canada have identified current and anticipated future shortages of physicians. The creation of opportunities for licensure for the sizeable population of unlicensed international medical graduates (IMG) residing in Canada can alleviate some of the shortage of medical manpower. We examine whether expenditures on IMG skills assessment, training and licensing are a socially desirable use of resources. We estimate the financial rate of return to Alberta taxpayers from resources allocated to the Alberta International Medical Graduate (AIMG) program, started in 2001. Our estimates show that resources allocated to providing skills assessment and residency training opportunities for IMGs that lead to licensing as a Canadian physician generate real annual rates of return of 9-13%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW Calgary, Alta., Canada T2N 1N4. hemery@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: J C Herbert
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.forename: Rodney A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Crutcher
authors.forename: Alexandra C M
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003406:Credentialing; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000191:economics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution