Resettling refugee physicians into their profession of choice

Abstract

The incoming population of refugees is putting more strain on an already taxed medical system here in Canada. To boot, this new population is at greater risk of a wider range of illness and profound trauma rarely encountered at such a scale by Canadian general practitioners—the primary point of contact for refugees entering the Canadian health care system. Additionally, countless refugees become underemployed after settling into their new country—this includes many medical professionals. By recruiting these medically trained refugees into general practice, they can be assigned specifically to their population cohort, bridging the gaps of location-specific illness, trauma, language, and culture, all of which will enhance the patient-physician relationship and subsequent care. However, it is imperative to make sure these international physicians are competent and mentally fit to work after their potential ordeals. A balance might be struck between easing licentiate exam requirements, subsidizing their training in their vulnerable transition period, or similar modifications at the variable provincial levels of regulatory medicine.