Training overseas doctors in the United Kingdom: they must be given accurate information about their job prospects.

They must be given accurate information about their job prospects

The United Kingdom has a long tradition of training overseas doctors--that is, doctors who gained their primary qualification outside the European Economic Area. In this week's BMJ, Sridhar argues that the United Kingdom should radically revise its practices in relation to overseas doctors seeking training posts (p 307).[1] Similar issues were raised in 1994.[2]

Doctors have travelled to other countries for training for many years. Doctors who travel overseas for postgraduate training represent only one feature of "medical migration," which can be temporary or permanent and is a phenomenon that occurs worldwide for a variety of reasons. This migration is influenced by a number of factors, including a lack of training facilities and opportunities in the …