Overworked and underappreciated, Korean doctors eye New Zealand’s greener pastures

Medical professionals walk in a general hospital in downtown Seoul in March 2024. [NEWS1]

Hundreds of Korean doctors are eyeing new opportunities to practice medicine in New Zealand, which now accepts Korea-issued medical licenses and exempts Korean practitioners from taking another qualification exam.
 
In March, the Medical Council of New Zealand, a regulatory body that oversees doctor licensing in the country, acknowledged the Korean and Japanese health care systems as comparable to its own, offering a rare opportunity for Korean-trained medical doctors to immigrate to New Zealand.
 
Foreign-trained physicians from countries considered to have “comparable health systems” are permitted to continue their medical profession in New Zealand without taking qualification exams or training courses. 
 
 
Earlier this month, approximately 350 Korean doctors attended seminars to learn about opportunities to continue their medical careers in New Zealand, according to Seoul Migration, a private consulting firm that hosted them.
 
New Zealand’s decision appears to open an alternative job market for Korean physicians fatigued by overwork and excessive workload, with yearly consultations per doctor tallied over 6,100 cases — more than 3.4 times the OECD average. Korean junior doctors holding general medical licenses work around 75 hours a week on average.
 
A Korean dermatologist who attended a session on Friday said New Zealand’s recent decision is a rare opportunity.
 
“While most countries do not accept Korean doctors’ licenses, I heard that New Zealand does and I came to find out more,” he said.    


A new destination for Korean doctors?
 

Hundreds of Korean doctors attend a seminar to learn about their career opportunity in New Zealand on July 13 in central Seoul. [SEOUL MIGRATION]

In the seminar in Seoul on Friday evening, the second in a series of sessions on New Zealand’s acceptance of Korean medical licenses, around 10 specialists from various fields — anesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology — gathered to discuss how to prepare New Zealand’s doctor registration process. The question-and-answer session lasted over 30 minutes, including inquiries on their personal resume. 
 
Seoul Migration noted that interest from medical specialists and senior doctors exceeded its expectations. 
  
A gynecologist said she came across the seminar after her colleague told her that New Zealand now welcomes Korean doctors. 
 
“I was intrigued by the idea of working overseas, and it does not seem impossible,” she said.
 
Prudence Thomson, founder of Accent Health Recruitment, a hiring firm targeting overseas medical professionals based in Christchurch in New Zealand, told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Tuesday that the council considered its prior experiences with Korean doctors working in New Zealand and Korea’s health indicators from the World Health Organization, such as mortality rates.
 
The addition of Korea is intended to address the physician shortage in New Zealand. An editorial from the New Zealand Medical Journal stated that the country was short of 1,700 doctors as of March last year. It also reported that more than 2,100 New Zealand-trained doctors were working in Australia. In New Zealand, international medical graduates who earned their medical diploma in foreign countries accounted for 41.7 percent of active doctors, according to the 2024 work force report from the council.
 
Thomson, who met with Korean doctors during the first session on July 13 in Seoul, said she received “positive reactions” from the attendees. She noted that Korean doctors were well-informed about New Zealand.
 

Two medical professionals walk near a medical school in downtown Seoul in May. [YONHAP]

Thomson said that New Zealand’s health system is “collegial,” adding it offers a more “relaxed” working environment, with weekly work hours set between 40 and 50 hours. 
 
Another doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that “instability” in the Korean medical industry — such as a recent impasse between doctors and the government — and the “psychological burden” of treating an excessive number of patients motivated them to consider becoming a doctor in New Zealand. 
 
Many junior doctors have become disgruntled with Korea’s medical system, particularly after the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration increased the number of medical school admissions by 1,509 seats. The Yoon administration’s drive prompted a 17-month-long standoff between doctors and the government, which began in February last year. Nearly 10,000 junior doctors resigned from their training. 
 
“Most doctors who have thought of working overseas likely know that New Zealand recognizes Korean medical licenses,” the anonymous doctor said.  
 
Prof. Jeong Hyoung-sun from Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Health Sciences told the paper that New Zealand’s new measure could motivate Korean doctors to immigrate overseas. “Doctors who opposed the admission quota hike or who were anxious about their future might seriously consider relocation to New Zealand,” Jeong said. 
 
While noting that New Zealand aims to recruit general practitioners through the comparable health system pathway, Thomson said doctors from Singapore and Hong Kong — countries that were designated as comparable health systems before Korea — were “successfully placed” into New Zealand’s medical system and adapted well.
 
Eligibility to work in New Zealand’s medical sector 

 

A form of reference that should be submitted by Korean doctors aspiring to practice medicine in New Zealand [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean doctors — specialists and those with general medical licenses — with diplomas from institutions registered by the World Directory of Medical Schools meet the primary threshold to become doctors in New Zealand. All 40 Korean medical schools nationwide are listed in the directory.  
 
To meet the language requirements, Korean doctors must score at least 7.0 in each section of the academic module of the International English Language Testing System (Ielts).
 
The Medical Council of New Zealand also requires applicants to have at least 33 months of clinical experience, with a minimum of 20 hours per week, during the 48 months preceding their application. Additionally, candidates should have at least 33 months of experience working in the same or a similar field of medicine that they intend to practice in New Zealand.
 
The New Zealand state authority designated dozens of understaffed medical specialties as “green list roles.” It includes general surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, gastroenterologists, urologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists. Applicants whose specialties match those on the green list can apply for a residence visa immediately or after working in New Zealand for two years.
 
Screening process

A doctor walks by a hanger with doctors’ white gowns at a general hospital in Daegu in March 2024. [YONHAP]

 
Along with their curriculum vitae and job descriptions, Korean doctors should submit reference letters written from supervisors who have worked with them for six months or longer within the past three years. The reference form includes an evaluation of the applicant’s critical judgment skills, ethical conduct and record-keeping behavior.
 
Those willing to practice medicine as specialists in New Zealand are required to submit syllabuses detailing the training courses they completed to earn board specialty certification. Surgeons must provide surgical reports for the past five years.
 
New Zealand colleges or local academic associations overseeing specific medical specialties will review applications to determine their fitness to continue their careers as specialists. 
 
If deemed inappropriate, they will likely be permitted to practice medicine as general practitioners, according to Henry Lee, a director from Seoul Migration. Lee said that meeting all requirements would not unconditionally guarantee approvals to work as doctors in New Zealand, noting that the council reviews applications on a case-by-case basis. 
 
While final approval to become a New Zealand doctor is at the discretion of local health authorities, Korean doctors appear to be seeking a more balanced life overseas. 
 
“In the long term, I thought New Zealand would be a better environment to raise a child than Korea, if I get married in the future,” said a doctor, who requested anonymity. “I want to live in a stress-free environment.” 
 

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]