Migrant Physicians and Professional Training: the Case of Brazil

Abstract: Migration is a markedly economic and social phenomenon with effects on modern society. It is obviously related to the set of events which constitute Brazilian history. This article sheds light on the issue of medical professional migration. The main hypothesis is that medical specialization defines migratory movements. By focusing on physicians who migrate from the place where they obtain their undergraduate training to other areas in the search for specialization -the so-called 'intraining migrant physicians' -, we adopted the medical specialization chosen by physicians in their residence program as the main dependent variable. We used the research database 'Profile of Medical Doctors in Brazil'. ln accordance with the methodology, we followed the direction Brazil > Regions > States, establishing the part of the population which is the study target. Recently graduated physicians, both men and women, migrate twards residence programs in their area of professional interest. What route do they take? Which States/Regions of Brazil attract most migratory moves? The study concludes by describing trend, in professional training in each Region of the country.