title: A cycle of brain gain, waste and drain - a qualitative study of non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ireland is heavily reliant on non-EU migrant health workers to staff its health system. Shortages of locally trained health workers and policies which facilitate health worker migration have contributed to this trend. This paper provides insight into the experiences of non-EU migrant doctors in the Irish health workforce.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews were conducted with 37 non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland in 2011/2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents believed they had been recruited to fill junior hospital doctor 'service' posts. These posts are unpopular with locally trained doctors due to the limited career progression they provide. Respondents felt that their hopes for career progression and postgraduate training in Ireland had gone unrealised and that they were becoming de-skilled. As a result, most respondents were actively considering onward migration from Ireland.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Failure to align the expectations of non-EU migrant doctors with the requirements of the health system has resulted in considerable frustration and a cycle of brain gain, waste and drain. The underlying reasons for high mobility into and out of the Irish medical workforce must be addressed if this cycle is to be broken. The heavy reliance on non-EU migrant doctors to staff the medical workforce has distracted from the underlying workforce challenges facing the Irish medical workforce.
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland. nhumphries@rcsi.ie.
authors: Niamh
authors: N
authors: Humphries
authors: Ella
authors: E
authors: Tyrrell
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: McAleese
authors: Posy
authors: P
authors: Bidwell
authors: Steve
authors: S
authors: Thomas
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Normand
authors: Ruairi
authors: R
authors: Brugha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002322:Career Mobility; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000523:psychology* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires