PEDIATRICS Vol. 46 No. 5 November 1970, pp. 760-766
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wedgwood, R. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wedgwood, R. J.

PEDIATRIC PERCEPTIONS

The Education of Foreign Medical School Graduates

Ralph J. Wedgwood M.D.1

1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington

The training of graduates from foreign medical schools presents a special problem in medical education. Their presence in training programs can be regarded from two totally disparate points of view. The first view, probably most generally held, is that foreign medical graduates are less well prepared for internship and residency than their American counterparts. The difficulties imposed by language barriers, by differences in education, social customs, and values are a reality. From this perspective the foreign medical graduate is not as "desirable" a house officer as the graduate of an American medical school; programs with a large proportion of foreign medical graduates are considered less competitive, or strong, than those with fewer.

Hospitals, however, need house officers to provide patient care services. Since the end of World War II there have been far more positions available than applicants. Hospitals compete strongly for these physicians, often, it must be admitted, to utilize their services for patient care rather than to provide them with an educational opportunity. The national picture over the past 20 years (Fig. 1) shows this steady trend. In 1968-1969, about one third of all house officers in the United States were foreign graduates; nearly 20% of available house officer positions were unfilled.

Thus, a different but equally valid viewpoint, increasingly voiced but not frequently recognized, is that the foreign medical graduate is a vital component of our health manpower resources. The United States is heavily dependent upon the immigration of physicians to provide the health services needed by the expanding population.

Submitted on March 9, 1970
Accepted on July 3, 1970