The health workforce exists in a global marketplace.  Many rich countries now rely on medical and nursing graduates who have trained in other countries to meet their health service needs.  Some poor countries have established institutions training health workers specifically for export.  This course will examine the causes and consequences of the globalisation of the health workforce, taking into account political, professional and personal discourses.  It will examine the broad context of the globalisation of the health workforce, and use case studies to examine key questions about ethics, sustainability and the human experience of this transition.

This course introduces students to key sociological, ethical and experiential issues related to the globalisation of the health workforce. It is interdisciplinary in nature, locating the growing intercountry migrations of health workers in historical, political and social context. The course will cover:

• Historical and political overview of experiences of international health graduates in Australia
• Changing international contexts that lead to global health transfers of health workforce
• Ethical aspects

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. articulate the cultural, social and economic determinants of the international migration of health workers.

2. explain the ethical and human rights implications of the international migration of health workers

3. identify the barriers to successful resettlement of health workers, including regulatory and sociocultural barriers

4. interpret and synthesise data from published and grey literature and narratives

1. Seminar/online participation (10%) will demonstrate students can identify and explain the ethical and human rights implications of the international migration of health workers

2. Two short papers (1000 words each) on specific topics demonstrating that students can articulate barriers and enhancers to successful resettlement of health workers. 

3. One major essay (4000 words) will demonstrate that students can interprete and synthesise grey and published literature, and can articulate the cultural social and economic determinants of the international migration of health workers.