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VIEWPOINT

International medical graduates and the cardiology workforce

John B. Kostis, MD, FACC^*,* and Busharat Ahmad, MD

^* UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
American Medical Association, Grosse Ile, Michigan, USA

Manuscript received November 5, 2003; revised manuscript received December 22, 2003, accepted May 25, 2004.

^* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. John B. Kostis, UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, One Robert Wood Johnson Place, P.O. Box 19, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903-0019 (Email: kostis{at}umdnj.edu).

Recent publications have expressed the view that there is a shortage of cardiologists and it is growing worse. Both an increasing demand and a diminishing supply of cardiologists have been projected. An increase in the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) who enter cardiology practice has been proposed as a remedy for a projected shortage. The IMGs have to overcome challenges including clinical practice, language proficiency, and cultural differences before they are incorporated into the fabric of U.S. cardiology. With hard work, perseverance, excellence,compassionate care and support and mentoring, many have contributed to scientific and clinical cardiology in the U.S. Whether in the absence of a present crisis the projected shortage of cardiologists necessitates change in U.S. immigration policy is an open question.

Abbreviations and Acronyms   ACC = American College of Cardiology   IMG = international medical graduate