A review of support for International Medical Graduates (IMGs): a scoping review

Several support strategies to support international medical graduates' transitions in host countries have been published. This review aims to map available strategies and identify gaps for future research.

A scoping review was performed using the PRISMA-ScR checklist and The Arksey and O'Malley framework. The electronic databases of Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Education Resources Information Center were systematically searched for relevant studies. This was supplemented by citation exploration, direct reference lists and grey literature searches. Original peer-reviewed publications on existing strategies to support IMGs in the English language between 2010 to June 2023 were included. Study characteristics and themes were analyzed iteratively.

Twenty-nine case reports and one residency training handbook for IMGs had educational support strategies focusing on communication, clinical skills workshops, orientation/induction programs, clinical attachments and observership programs. Eight articles reported social support strategies, including pastoral and administrative support, online social networks for information sharing, and buddying relationships between IMGs, family, friends and peer support groups. Most of the publications were from Australia and United Kingdom.

The review highlighted educational and social support strategies to facilitate the transition of International Medical Graduates in their host countries. Interventions tailored to their individual needs, continuous assessment, and ongoing support tend to be successful. It emphasized the role of social support, improved induction programs and use of internet-based interventions to facilitate IMGs transition in host countries. Further research may evaluate the effectiveness of proposed strategies and establish standardized evaluation criteria.