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Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada

BACKGROUND: In Canada, international medical graduates (IMG) consist of immigrant-IMG and previous Canadian citizens/permanent residents who attended medical school abroad (CSA). CSA are more likely to obtain a post-graduate residency position than immigrant-IMG and previous studies have suggested t...

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Autores principales: Mathews, Maria, Bourgeault, Ivy, Ryan, Dana
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Canadian Medical Education Journal 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10254106/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37304630
http://dx.doi.org/10.36834/cmej.73320
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author Mathews, Maria
Bourgeault, Ivy
Ryan, Dana
author_facet Mathews, Maria
Bourgeault, Ivy
Ryan, Dana
author_sort Mathews, Maria
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: In Canada, international medical graduates (IMG) consist of immigrant-IMG and previous Canadian citizens/permanent residents who attended medical school abroad (CSA). CSA are more likely to obtain a post-graduate residency position than immigrant-IMG and previous studies have suggested that the residency selection process favours CSA over immigrant-IMG. This study explored potential sources of bias in the residency program selection process. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with senior administrators of clinical assessment and post-graduate programs across Canada. We asked about perceptions of the background and preparation of CSA and immigrant-IMG, methods applicants use to improve likelihood of obtaining residency positions, and practices that may favour/discourage applicants. Interviews were transcribed and a constant comparative method was employed to identify recurring themes. RESULTS: Of a potential 22 administrators, 12 (54.5%) completed interviews. Five key factors that may provide CSA with an advantage were: reputation of the applicant’s medical school, recency of graduation, ability to complete undergraduate clinical placement in Canada, familiarity with Canadian culture, and interview performance. CONCLUSIONS: Although residency programs prioritize equitable selection, they may be constrained by policies designed to promote efficiencies and mitigate medico-legal risks that inadvertently advantage CSA. Identifying the factors behind these potential biases is needed to promote an equitable selection process.
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spelling pubmed-102541062023-06-10 Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada Mathews, Maria Bourgeault, Ivy Ryan, Dana Can Med Educ J Original Research BACKGROUND: In Canada, international medical graduates (IMG) consist of immigrant-IMG and previous Canadian citizens/permanent residents who attended medical school abroad (CSA). CSA are more likely to obtain a post-graduate residency position than immigrant-IMG and previous studies have suggested that the residency selection process favours CSA over immigrant-IMG. This study explored potential sources of bias in the residency program selection process. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with senior administrators of clinical assessment and post-graduate programs across Canada. We asked about perceptions of the background and preparation of CSA and immigrant-IMG, methods applicants use to improve likelihood of obtaining residency positions, and practices that may favour/discourage applicants. Interviews were transcribed and a constant comparative method was employed to identify recurring themes. RESULTS: Of a potential 22 administrators, 12 (54.5%) completed interviews. Five key factors that may provide CSA with an advantage were: reputation of the applicant’s medical school, recency of graduation, ability to complete undergraduate clinical placement in Canada, familiarity with Canadian culture, and interview performance. CONCLUSIONS: Although residency programs prioritize equitable selection, they may be constrained by policies designed to promote efficiencies and mitigate medico-legal risks that inadvertently advantage CSA. Identifying the factors behind these potential biases is needed to promote an equitable selection process. Canadian Medical Education Journal 2023-04-08 /pmc/articles/PMC10254106/ /pubmed/37304630 http://dx.doi.org/10.36834/cmej.73320 Text en © 2023 Mathews, Bourgeault, Ryan; licensee Synergies Partners. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an Open Journal Systems article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) ) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is cited.
spellingShingle Original Research
Mathews, Maria
Bourgeault, Ivy
Ryan, Dana
Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada
title Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada
title_full Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada
title_fullStr Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada
title_full_unstemmed Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada
title_short Perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in Canada
title_sort perceptions of bias in the selection of international medical graduate residency applicants in canada
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10254106/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37304630
http://dx.doi.org/10.36834/cmej.73320
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