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IMGs fill vacant primary care residency slots

Physician Practice Advisor, September 20, 2006

International medical graduates (IMGs) are increasingly filling primary care residency slots as more U.S. doctors opt for better-paying specialties, according to an article in The Sun News. For example, eight of 10 primary care residency slots at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota were filled by IMGs this year, as were five of six at the University of Minnesota's Smiley's Clinic.

Primary care, currently experiencing a physician shortage, typically pays half as much as specialties such as dermatology, radiology, and orthopedics. The median income for a family practitioner is roughly $150,000, which isn't enticing to medical students who often carry more than $100,000 in student loan debt, the article reports.

IMGs currently account for more than one-quarter of the total physician population. Experts warn that, although IMGs are helping fill primary care residency slots, recruiting from abroad is not a sustainable solution to the physician shortage afflicting primary care.

Click here to read the The Sun News article.

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