International medical graduates: from brain drain to potential gain

The international mobility of healthcare professionals is a well-documented phenomenon that has dynamic effects on global healthcare, labor markets, and the world economy. One aspect of this phenomenon—the movement of international medical graduates (IMGs) to the United States for residency training is often criticized because of the “brain drain” from their home countries. We propose a different way of looking at this brain drain phenomenon and highlight the beneficial aspects of international physicians obtaining training in the United States and the potential impact such physicians could have on the healthcare systems of their own countries and possibly of the entire world.