Introduction: International Medical Graduates (IMGs) have lower educational attainment and a higher rate of complaints against them compared to Domestic Medical Graduates (DMG). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of burnout on these adverse outcomes experienced by IMGs.
Methods: Every year, the General Medical Council (GMC) conducts the National Training Survey of all doctors in the United Kingdom which includes optional questions on work-related burnout from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Work-related burnout data for doctors in training, linked to country of Primary Medical Qualification were obtained from the GMC for the years 2019 and 2021. Burnout scores of IMGs and DMGs were compared using Chi2.
Results: The total number of eligible participants in 2019 and 2021 was 56,397 and 61,313 respectively. The response rates for all doctors in training to the CBI were 35,739 (63.4%) in 2019, and 28,310 (46.2%) in 2021. IMGs were at a lower risk of burnout compared to DMGs, 2,343 (42.9%) vs 15,497 (51.2%), Odds Ratio (OR) 0.72 (CI 0.68–0.76, P < 0.001) in 2019; and 2,774 (50.2%) vs 13,000 (57.1%), OR 0.76 (CI 0.71–0.80, P < 0.001) in 2021.
Discussion: IMGs, as a group, appear to be at a lower risk of work-related burnout compared to DMGs. Burnout is unlikely to be contributing to lower educational attainment and higher rates of complaints experienced by IMGs compared to DMGs.
