Migration of Romanian Doctors: a Qualitative Study on the Perceptions of Romanian Doctors who practiced Abroad

Abstract

The phenomenon of migration among Romanian doctors has particularly increased following Romania’s adhesion to the European Union. This study in an exploratory one and its aim is to thoroughly investigate the doctors´ motivation for leaving their country of origin in order to work abroad. The qualitative methodological approach is based on semi-structured interviews with doctors who worked abroad for at least one year and then decided to return to their country of origin. The results of the interviews have emphasized the doctors´ desire to specialize professionally under high-performance working conditions in western countries, the perceptions on their professional experiences in other cultural environments, as well as the factors that influenced their return to Romania.

Keywords

• migration
• doctors
• health professionals
• motivation
• high-skilled professionals