Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Human Resources for Health
Published in: Human Resources for Health 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research

A cycle of brain gain, waste and drain - a qualitative study of non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland

Authors: Niamh Humphries, Ella Tyrrell, Sara McAleese, Posy Bidwell, Steve Thomas, Charles Normand, Ruairi Brugha

Published in: Human Resources for Health | Issue 1/2013

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Ireland is heavily reliant on non-EU migrant health workers to staff its health system. Shortages of locally trained health workers and policies which facilitate health worker migration have contributed to this trend. This paper provides insight into the experiences of non-EU migrant doctors in the Irish health workforce.

Method

In-depth interviews were conducted with 37 non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland in 2011/2012.

Results

Respondents believed they had been recruited to fill junior hospital doctor ‘service’ posts. These posts are unpopular with locally trained doctors due to the limited career progression they provide. Respondents felt that their hopes for career progression and postgraduate training in Ireland had gone unrealised and that they were becoming de-skilled. As a result, most respondents were actively considering onward migration from Ireland.

Discussion & conclusions

Failure to align the expectations of non-EU migrant doctors with the requirements of the health system has resulted in considerable frustration and a cycle of brain gain, waste and drain. The underlying reasons for high mobility into and out of the Irish medical workforce must be addressed if this cycle is to be broken. The heavy reliance on non-EU migrant doctors to staff the medical workforce has distracted from the underlying workforce challenges facing the Irish medical workforce.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Humphries N, Brugha R, McGee H: Overseas nurse recruitment: Ireland as an illustration of the dynamic nature of nurse migration. Health Pol. 2008, 87: 264-272. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2007.12.014.CrossRef
2.
Humphries N, Brugha R, McGee H: 'I won't be staying here for long'. A qualitative study on the retention of migrant nurses in Ireland. Hum Resour Health. 2009, 7: 68-10.1186/1478-4491-7-68.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
3.
Humphries N, Brugha R, McGee H: Sending money home: a mixed-methods study of remittances sent by migrant nurses in Ireland. Hum Resour Health. 2009, 7: 66-10.1186/1478-4491-7-66.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
4.
Humphries N, Brugha R, McGee H: Nurse migration and health workforce planning: Ireland as illustrative of international challenges. Health Pol. 2012, 107: 44-53. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.06.007.CrossRef
5.
Bidwell P: The national and international implications of a decade of doctor migration in the Irish context. Health Pol. 2013, 110: 29-38. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.10.002.CrossRef
6.
Kuhlmann E: Bringing a European perspective to the health human resources debate: a scoping study. Health Pol. 2013, 110: 6-13. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.11.002.CrossRef
7.
OECD: International Migration of Health Workers. Improving International Co-operation to Address the Global Health Workforce Crisis. 2010, Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
8.
HSE - Medical Education and Training Unit: Annual Assessment of NCHD Posts July 2011 to June 2012. 2011, Dublin: Medical and Training Unit, Health Services Executive
9.
Healy A: System of recruiting foreign doctors defended. Irish Times. 2012
10.
Mudiwa L: MC to target SA/Pakistan doctors. Irish Medical Times. 2013
11.
Kapur D, McHale J: Should a cosmopolitan worry about the “Brain Drain”?. Ethics Int Aff. 2006, 20: 305-320. 10.1111/j.1747-7093.2006.00028.x.CrossRef
12.
Skeldon R: Of skilled migration, brain drains and policy responses. Int Migr. 2008, 47: 3-29.CrossRef
13.
Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits for Nurses and Doctors. 2011, Dublin: Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation
14.
Mullan F: Doctors and soccer players - African professionals on the move. N Engl J Med. 2007, 356: 440-443. 10.1056/NEJMp068267.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Smith SD: The global workforce shortages and the migration of medical professions: the Australian policy response. Aust New Zeal Health Pol. 2008, 5: 7-10.1186/1743-8462-5-7.CrossRef
16.
Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education: Fottrell Report. Medical Education in Ireland A New Direction. Report of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education. 2006, Dublin: Department of Health and Children
17.
Finucane P: Graduate medical education in Ireland: a profile of the first cohort of students. Ir J Med Sci. 2008, 177: 19-22. 10.1007/s11845-008-0123-5.CrossRefPubMed
18.
19.
O'Neill D: Striking doctors and a cruel cut. Br Med J. 2013, (blogs.bmj.com)
20.
Bourgeault IL: Brain gain, drain and waste: the experiences of internationally educated health professionals in Canada. 2010, Ottawa: CIHR/Health Canada Chair in Health Human Resource Policy
21.
OECD: The Looming Crisis in the Health Workforce. How Can OECD Countries Respond? in OECD Health Policy Studies. 2008, Paris: OECD
22.
Baxter G: Immigrant doctors: another fine mess in Irish Medical Times. 2005, Dublin: Irish Medical Times
23.
Royal College of Physicians: National Audit of SHO and Registrar Posts. Report of the Audit Steering Group. 2007, Dublin: Royal College of Physicians
24.
25.
National Health Service (NHS): NHS Workforce: Summary of staff in the NHS: Results from September 2011 Census. 2012, Leeds, UK: Health and Social Care Information Centre
26.
Humphries N: 'I'm more at peace in this house'. The importance of housing and place in the integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Dublin in Department of Sociology. 2006, Dublin: University College Dublin
27.
Mullan F, Ficklen E, Rubin K: Narrative matters. 2006, Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press
28.
29.
Atkinson R, Flint J: Accessing hidden and hard-to-reach populations: snowball research strategies, in social research update. 2001, Guildford, UK: Department of Sociology, University of Surrey
30.
Medical Council: Medical Workforce Intelligence Report. A Report on the Annual Registration Retention Survey 2012. 2013, Dublin: Medical Council
31.
World Health Organisation: Working together for health. The World Health Report 2006. 2006, Geneva: World Health Organisation
32.
Richards L: Handling qualitative data. A practical guide. 2009, London: Sage, 2
33.
Medical Council: Annual Report 2011. 2012, Dublin: Medical Council of Ireland
34.
Cullen P: Irish Times. Nearly €2m spent on recruiting doctors in India and Pakistan. 2012, Dublin: Irish Times
35.
HSE MET: Implementation of the Reform of the Intern Year. Second Interim Report. 2012, Dublin: HSE Medical Education and Training Unit
36.
Royal College of Physicians in Ireland: National Audit of SHO and Registrar Posts. 2007, Royal College of Physicians in Ireland Dublin
37.
Salt J: International movement of the highly skilled, International Migration Unit Occasional Paper. Vol. 3. 1997, OECD Directorate for Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs
38.
Raza G: Rules 'will prevent' my career progression. Irish Medical Times. 2013, Dublin: Irish Medical Times
39.
Habib I: Supervised doctors are being let down by the authorities. Irish Medical Times. 2013, Dublin: Irish Medical Times
40.
Gill I: Doctors Strike over long working hours. Irish Times. 2013
41.
McGowan Y: Through doctors' eyes: a qualitative study of hospital doctor perspectives on their working conditions. Br J Health Psychol. 2013, 18: 874-891. 10.1111/bjhp.12037.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Irish Medical Organisation: Submission to Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children: Non Consultant Hospital Doctors. 2011, Dublin: IMO
43.
Zander B, Blumel M, Buss R: Nurse migration in Europe - can expectations really be met? Combining qualitative and quantitative data from Germany and eight of its destination and source countries. Int J Nurs Stud. 2013, 50: 210-218. 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.11.017.CrossRefPubMed
44.
45.
Reichert SF, Thomas AK: Mentoring a vulnerable cohort for success: the special case of the foreign medical graduate. Mentoring in academic medicine. Edited by: Humphrey HF. 2010, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: USA, American College of Physicians
46.
47.
Glinos I: Conclusions from the case studies. Health professional mobility and health systems evidence from 17 European countries. Edited by: Wismar M. 2011, Copenhagen: United Kingdom, World Health Organisation on behalf of European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
48.
Wismar M: Health professional mobility and health systems evidence from 17 European countries. 2011, Copenhagen: World Health Organisation on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
49.
50.
World Health Organisation: The WHO global code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel. 2010, Geneva: World Health Organisation
Metadata
Title
A cycle of brain gain, waste and drain - a qualitative study of non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland
Authors
Niamh Humphries
Ella Tyrrell
Sara McAleese
Posy Bidwell
Steve Thomas
Charles Normand
Ruairi Brugha
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Human Resources for Health / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1478-4491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-11-63

Other articles of this Issue 1/2013

Human Resources for Health 1/2013 Go to the issue

Case study

Removing financial barriers to access reproductive, maternal and newborn health services: the challenges and policy implications for human resources for health

Research

An integrative review and evidence-based conceptual model of the essential components of pre-service education

Research

Effective in-service training design and delivery: evidence from an integrative literature review

Research

Correlates of physician burnout across regions and specialties: a meta-analysis

Research

Forecasting supply and demand in nursing professions: impacts of occupational flexibility and employment structure in Germany

Commentary

Cost-effectiveness analyses of training: a manager’s guide