Differential Impact of COVID-19 on Junior Doctors

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the working circumstances for doctors. To cope with increased workload, hospitals had to increase working hours, reallocate vacation and study leaves and rotations. This impacted the physical and mental well-being of all doctors, particularly international medical graduates (IMG). We explored the differential impact on junior doctors working in a district general hospital. In a mixed methods study, we evaluated the experience and perception of junior doctors in a United Kingdom district hospital in the south of England during the first wave of COVID-19 between March 2020 and September 2020. The study was conducted in two phases: creating a questionnaire followed by an evaluation of qualitative and quantitative content. About 83% doctors in non-consultant grades responded and 37.8% were IMG. The study found that IMG were significantly more likely to experience stress when compared to UK medical graduates (p = 0.008). They were also more worried about contracting the virus when compared to UK medical graduates (p = 0.004). Both groups felt that their training and career progression had been adversely affected. Various factors could play a role in increased stress in IMG when compared to UK medical graduates. These factors included: adjusting to a new system, being away from family, exams and interviews being cancelled, and reports suggesting that members of the the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community were more likely to be affected by serious illness if contracted COVID-19. This highlights the need for additional support for IMG.