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IMG Peer Mentor Project

The pilot phase of the National Rural Faculty's project to establish a peer mentor network for International Medical Graduates who are new to the Australian healthcare system has come to a close.

The pilot project funded by the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) aimed to provide a professional peer to help orient IMGs adequately to the Australian healthcare system, support them to achieve recognition as a GP and to facilitate their local cultural adaptation. All mentors and mentees in the program were from culturally diverse backgrounds, predominantly Africa, Indian sub-continent, South East Asia and the Middle East.

As part of the pilot project the NRF trained 64 mentors all whom were experienced Fellows of the College and had a similar pathway to fellowship as their mentees. Mentors were matched with a mentee by late December 2009 and were funded to provide up to 10 hours of mentoring. In most cases this was a combination of face-to-face meetings and regular telephone or electronic media contact.

Studies have indicated that many IMGs experience difficulties in adjusting to and understanding the Australian Medicare and specialist referral systems, the cultural colloquialisms (slang) and how to access local support services.

Peer mentoring is different to medical education and clinical supervision as there are no formal assessments or reporting responsibilities in the peer mentor relationship. Although preparation for the college fellowship exam may be discussed during the mentoring sessions, the focus has been on improving the quality of care delivered by IMGs. There is also an emphasis on improving understanding of the Australian preventative healthcare model.

An external evaluation by Red Tree Consulting found that ‘mentoring was very strongly upheld as a strategy by mentors and mentees, and there was almost universal support for the practice of IMGs mentoring IMGs’. In conclusion, Red Tree Consulting endorsed the project’s continued funding. An evaluation summary report and list of recommendations can be found below.

We are hopeful that DoHA will extend the project funding beyond June 2010, at which point we would be able to include more mentors and mentees into the network.

For further details about the project or to express your interest to be involved, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact James Flynn – Rural Research & Development Coordinator on (03) 8699 0507 or email james.flynn@racgp.org.au

Last Modified: 7 September 2010
Authorised By: National Rural Faculty