Internationalisation of health workforce education: the case of medicine in Romania

Abstract

Abstract Background Long recognised as a major source country for health professionals working in Western EU Member States, Romania has become increasingly attractive for international medical students in recent years. The current study explores the drivers of this trend, its opportunities and challenges, as well as its implications on the broader health system goals. Methods The study used secondary data analysis and interviews with key informants. Data originated in a study conducted for the OECD (grant no. EC-2017-5304 financed by the European Commission). Results Since 2011, 11 of the 13 Medical Schools in Romania have opened additional study lines in foreign languages (English and French) and gradually increased the number of places allocated to international students. Of all new-entrant student places available in the medical schools in 2018/19, nearly 30% (1740 out of 6121) are in the international study programmes - a 50% increase since 2011/12. Moreover, while the total annual number of places for new medical students have increased by nearly a fifth between 2011/12 and 2018/19 (from 5,250 to 6,121), the share of new study places in the Romanian division has decreased from 80% to 70% in the same period. For Medical Schools, internationalisation has been driven mainly by financial reasons and has had a positive impact on curriculum development and improvement. For many international medical students, in particular nationals of the EU countries, the main push factors are the numerus clausus policies limiting access to medical education in their home countries. Conclusions Internationalisation of medical education in Romania has taken place in the absence of a formal national internationalisation strategy and efforts have not translated into significant improvements in health workforce management in Romania. This suggests that potential benefits of internationalisation of health workforce education must be assessed in context of national health systems.