Practices and Perceptions of Family Practice Residency Directors toward International Medical Graduate Applicants: A National Survey

Purpose - International Medical Graduates (IMGs) are increasingly filling Family Medicine residency positions. (1) To what extent are residency programs recruiting and accepting IMG applicants? (2) What are program directors' perceptions of IMG applicants? (3) What program characteristics are associated with their practices and perceptions? Methods - A 2002 national survey of Family Medicine program directors assessed program demographics and directors' recruiting practices and perceptions regarding IMG applicants. Results - Although 88% of respondents would rank IMG applicants, only 40% agreed that they would perform as well as U.S. graduates. Programs with IMG faculty were more likely to have IMG residents (p˂0.01). Program directors with IMG faculty or more IMG residents reported more positive perceptions of IMG residents' performance (p˂0.01). Conclusion - More experience with IMGs, such as having IMG faculty or higher numbers of IMG residents, is associated with recruitment of IMG residents and may contribute to more positive beliefs about their performance.