Investing in learning and training refugee doctors.
BACKGROUND
Medically qualified refugees seek to build a new life and return to clinical medicine. The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK needs to develop a workforce to meet the needs of the communities it serves, and refugee doctors have the potential to contribute to the NHS, using their experience and skills to benefit patients.


METHODS
Fifty-four per cent of refugee doctors in the UK live in London, so in response, the London Deanery (Postgraduate Department of Medical and Dental Education, London University) has undertaken a series of initiatives over the past 8 years assisting refugee doctors back into medical employment. Clinical attachments, supernumerary 6-month posts and general practitioner (GP) training rotations have been offered. The projects, doctors involved, educational provision and outcomes are reported. The obstacles and barriers to returning to substantive posts in medicine are also discussed.


RESULTS
Fifty-six per cent of the refugee doctors were known to be working after the schemes, 52 per cent gained substantive posts and 39 per cent entered training grades.


CONCLUSIONS
Investing in innovative and creative work-based training programmes for refugee doctors is worthwhile, but needs to be adequately resourced if refugee doctors are to bring ultimate benefit to the NHS.
London Deanery, International Medical Graduates Office, London, UK. penny.trafford@londondeanery.ac.uk
Yong Lock
YL
Ong
Penny
P
Trafford
Elisabeth
E
Paice
Neil
N
Jackson
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003469:Culture; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D058005:General Practitioners; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008131:London; D020380:Needs Assessment; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012036:Refugees / Q000193:education*; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching