The HSE Feels Like an Apartheid System for International Doctors
Don’t come to Ireland as an IMG unless you know exactly what you are walking into.
The HSE runs on international doctors, but too often treats them like disposable rota cover. You are useful when the ward is short, the rota is unsafe, and the service is collapsing. But when it comes to training, progression, support, or protection, many IMGs are left alone.
Hard work will not automatically protect you. Staying late will not guarantee respect. Covering gaps will not mean the system will care about your future.
Local graduates usually know the system, have networks, and understand how to move forward. IMGs are often expected to carry the workload, stay quiet, and figure everything out the hard way.
So my advice is simple: don’t come unless you have no better option, a clear exit plan, or a very specific reason. if the system is using you. YOU better use it back.
The HSE needs IMGs. That does not mean it values them.