International Medical Graduates (IMGs) peer-led support group: an audit

According to the latest GMC Workforce report, overseas doctors account for more than one third of the licensed medical professionals in the UK, and for more than half of the newly registered doctors in 2022.1 There is extensive literature on the challenges that this significant proportion of colleagues face in their daily practice.2,3,4 To help with these, the NHS has recently introduced local enhanced inductions for new IMGs, and several Trusts, including our own, have organised local peer-support groups for overseas doctors.5,6 These have shown to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of IMGs.7 An online structured questionnaire was distributed to a large group of IMGs employed by our Trust. These included doctors in training and non-training doctors across several specialties. The data collected was analysed using Excel. Twenty-one participants replied to the questionnaire. Twelve (57.1%) were in training posts, while the rest were non-training doctors. The majority of 61.9% were employed in medical specialties. For eight (38.1%) this was their first NHS job, whilst 18 (85.7%) had been in the UK for longer than 1 year. All had a named supervisor, and most of them (90.5%) could identify a senior to discuss their concerns. Twenty (95.2%) had access to Eportfolio. Seventeen (80.9%) worked on-call shifts, with the majority understanding either well or very well the on-call system (82.2%) and feeling overall supported whilst on-call (76.5%). Thirteen (61.9%) understood the NHS well or very well, whilst sixteen (76.2%) felt they received similar or the same support and training opportunities as their British peers. Eleven (52.3%) stated that they sometimes felt doubtful about their abilities, and 13 (61.9%) felt uncertain about their future NHS careers. Seventeen (80.9%) stated they would benefit from an IMG support group. Specific suggestions for extra support needed were mostly regarding application to higher specialty training. This audit provides an insight into the struggles IMGs face in their daily practice, and advocates for continuous support during their initial period of adjustment to the NHS and throughout their applications to higher specialty training. Moreover, it demonstrated that peer-led support groups providing regular teaching and mentorship are incredibly valuable to IMGs and could help them achieve their career goals.