title: International medical graduates as physician assistants.
abstract: This study describes the MEDEX physician assistant (PA) program's experience with screening, educating, and graduating PA students who were international medical graduates (IMGs).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study reviewed IMG-PA demographics including country of origin; prior primary care practice; and current practice location, specialty, and medically underserved designation. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis or Fisher exact test summarize outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine IMG-PAs were graduated from 1991 through 2013. IMGs came from central and eastern Europe (48.7%), Asia (33.3%), and other regions. Most (69.2%) are women. Almost all (91.7%) practice in urban settings, 55.6% are in primary care, and 30.6% work in medically underserved areas. IMG-PAs in primary care were more likely to practice in underserved areas (P=0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MEDEX has graduated IMG-PAs who possess appropriate clinical and professional PA skills.
authors.affiliation: Keren H. Wick is an assistant professor, director of research, and graduate programs, and director of academic outreach for the MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Wash. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
authors.forename: Keren H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wick
mesh_terms: D003710:Demography; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D014481:United States