Theorizing the barriers and facilitators to relicensing and resettling of Albertan International Medical Graduates
Date
2014-10-03
Authors
De Silva, Roshanee B.
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Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences.
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how Albertan International Medical Graduates (AIMGs) negotiated barriers and facilitators during their journey to Canadian medical licensure by incorporating the views and perceptions of two study groups: practicing and non-practicing. This research used Charmaz’s (2014) constructivist grounded theory approach and was informed by six non-practising and seven practising AIMGs. The participants were individually interviewed with open-ended, in-depth questions. This research provided rich insight into the Canadian medical licensure experiences of AIMGs. Seven key factors to the successful licensure of AIMGs were identified: finances, language, family, culture, networks, institutional rules, and intrapersonal characteristics. A theoretical framework was developed to explain how AIMGs negotiated those factors to obtain their Canadian medical license. Furthermore, acculturation theory was used to explain the acculturation strategies of AIMGs, and institutional theory was used to explain how the existing policies and regulations acted as barriers to the licensing of AIMGs. AIMGs used two acculturation strategies, integration was the preferred choice of adaptation to the Canadian society, and assimilation was the only possibility when adapting to the hospital culture. Health care administrators and policy makers can use the concepts identified in this study to integrate more AIMGs into the Canadian health care system.
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Keywords
Albertan International Medical Graduates , barriers , facilitators , immigrant population , licensing - medical , resettling