Tendency of intern doctors to emigrate from Türkiye

Year 2025, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 132 - 143, 09.08.2025

Mehmet Can Kiliç , Duygu Elif Bayram , Seçil Nur Kantaş , Bülent Kılıç

Abstract

Objective: The rising emigration of doctors from Türkiye highlights the need to understand the factors driving this trend to preserve healthcare quality. This study aims to explore the tendency of medical interns during the 2023-2024 academic year at a medical faculty to emigrate abroad and the factors influencing this tendency.
Methods: The study, conducted in a cross-sectional design, had a population of 322 medical interns. A total of 222 intern doctors were reached (response rate: 68.9%). Data were collected through a survey created using Google Forms and shared in WhatsApp student groups.
Results: Participants had an average age of 23.6 years, 52.7% were male, and 41% reported a tendency to work abroad, while 32% did not and 27% were undecided. Among those with a tendency to emigrate, 76.7% preferred a long-term career abroad, 15.6% a short-term one, and 7.8% were undecided. Multivariate analysis showed that remaining in Türkiye due to family or partner reasons significantly reduced the likelihood of emigration [odds raito (OR)= 5.80]. Conversely, factors such as having a relative in healthcare (OR=3.96), participation in scientific activities (OR=3.49), international connections (OR=2.57), experience abroad (OR=2.99), perception of shorter working hours abroad (OR=3.35), and dissatisfaction with Türkiye’s merit system (OR=3.87) significantly increased the tendency to migrate (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the findings regarding working hours, reducing physicians’ shifts and workload may help mitigate migration intentions. To address the perceived lack of meritocracy, greater transparency in recruitment and career advancement is recommended.

Keywords

Brain drain , Healthcare workforce , Healthcare system , Medical education

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