Although over 40% of registered medical doctors in Aotearoa New Zealand trained overseas, their pathways to professional licensing can be difficult to navigate. My research explored the registration experiences of overseas-trained doctors through interviews and an online questionnaire, finding that those trained in lower-income countries often face significant delays or exclusion due to systemic barriers with colonial origins. Consequently, dozens of qualified doctors living in Aotearoa New Zealand are unable to practise, despite staffing shortages that were exacerbated by COVID-19. Policy reforms are needed to create more equitable and transparent registration processes, and contribute to medical workforce sustainability.
This video, which was chosen by Massey University for entry in the Asia-Pacific Three-Minute-Thesis (3MT) competition, provides a three minute overview of this PhD research.
See more on Massey News.
Research Beyond Borders 