Why Do Physicians Migrate? Views and Experiences of Medical Interns

One of the most essential resources of any health system is its human capital, and emigration of physicians means the loss of human capital. The aim of the study is to explain the phenomenon of emigration of physicians based on the perspective and experiences of the medical interns of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2021. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and the sample size was determined based on the theoretical saturation. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a total of 15 medical students who participated in the study. The data from the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a content analysis method to extract related categories and subcategories. Based on the data analysis, 24 subcategories and 8 main categories including status of medical education, working status of physicians, degradation of social status of physicians, lack of work / life balance, lack of motivation, being influenced by others, socio-economic conditions of the country and comparison of their status with destination countries were identified. Based on the findings of this study, there are several factors involved in the tendency of physicians to emigrate, all of which need to be considered in order to slow down the migration process.