An important milestone has been reached in the study into the integration of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) into the Australian healthcare system.

According to CQUniversity's International Program of Psycho-Social Health Research (IPP-SHR), the data collection phase of this project has now been completed and the project has moved into the analysis phase.

While there has been an increasing reliance on the employment of IMGs to staff hospital and healthcare services in Australia, to date, there has scant work on exploring the factors associated with their integration into the Australian healthcare system. 

This significant research project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the issues that affect the ability of IMGs to successfully adapt to the Australian health system, to ensure that programs intended to educate and acculturate IMGs are appropriate and effective.

The project explores the experiences of IMGs as they integrate with the Australian medical workforce, through 3 separate but related research projects:

- The first project examines the Observer Program run by Redlands Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, which was developed to facilitate the training and employment of IMGs in the Australian healthcare system.

- The second project involved in-depth interviews with 30 IMGs that have entered the Australian workforce.

- The final project examines the experience of Australian-trained doctors with IMGs to provide a full and balanced view of the process of integration of IMGs into the Australian workforce.

Details are available via: http://www.ipp-shr.cqu.edu.au/