title: Utilizing international medical graduates in health care delivery: brain drain, brain gain, or brain waste? A win-win approach at University of California, Los Angeles.
abstract: After identifying many unlicensed Hispanic international medical graduates (IMGs) legally residing in southern California, University of California, Los Angeles developed an innovative program to prepare these sidelined physicians to enter family medicine residency programs and become licensed physicians. On completion of a 3-year family medicine residency-training program, these IMGs have an obligation to practice in a federally designated underserved community in the state for 2 to 3 years. As the US health care system moves from physician-centered practices to patient-focused teams, with primary care serving as the foundation for building patient-centered medical homes, attention to educating IMGs in these concepts is crucial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. pdowling@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Patrick T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Dowling
authors.forename: Michelle Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bholat
mesh_terms: D003144:Communication Barriers; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008007:Licensure, Medical; D015141:Los Angeles; D019303:Multilingualism; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; D000078329:Workforce