Choosing a Specialty Just to Get a Job

Obtaining a job—or residency position—as an international medical graduate (IMG) has historically been challenging relative to US-trained physicians. After many years of training in other countries, seeking clinical or research opportunities in the United States, preparing for board examinations, and going through the residency application process, only about half of IMGs who apply to the Match are assigned a position. This disparity raises several important questions: Why is this the case? What options exist for IMGs who do not match? What are the current trends in IMGs specialty match outcomes? What systemic and personal challenges surrounding the residency application could help explain these trends? In this chapter, these questions are explored from begging to end. In addition, the ways in which IMGs contribute to American healthcare and some ways to support them through existing challenges are introduced. A case is also made as to why IMGs should not be forced to “choose a specialty just to get a job.”