Challenges faced by international medical graduate (IMG) residents interested in hematology-oncology.

29 Background: International Medical Graduates (IMGs) comprise over one-third of internal medicine (IM) trainees and practicing oncologists in the United States. We aimed to examine challenges faced by IM IMG residents in pursuing hematology-oncology (HO) fellowship positions. Methods: We conducted a pilot survey using SurveyPluto to assess demographics and evaluate visa related challenges amongst ACGME residents interested in HO. The survey was disseminated through the ASCO IMG Community of Practice (CoP), the Heme-Onc Fellows Mentorship Empowerment (H.O.M.E) group and the IMG Oncologists social media homepage (@IMG_Oncologists). Results: A total of 59 IMG residents completed the survey (20% PGY-1, 36% PGY-2 and 44% PGY-3). The majority of trainees (88%) were from community or university-affiliated community programs. J-1 visa was the most common visa type (67.8%). The visa process was rated as difficult or very difficult by 36% of trainees. Annual visa renewal was required by 51% trainees and 55.9% reported visa related impact on plans for research grant applications (Table). The greatest challenges associated with visa status were disruption of travel plans and inability to unite with family (35.6%); obtaining documentation from home country (33.9%); visa renewal (28.8%) and lack of clarity in visa instructions (27.1%). Among resources that respondents wanted better access to, IMG networking groups (81.4%), legal/financial aids (47.5%), institutional visa seminars (45.8%) and flexibility from their program to visit family overseas (45.8%) were identified as priorities. Conclusions: Visa related barriers pose significant challenges to IMGs interested in HO. Policy changes, advocacy work and additional resources could be beneficial for future IMG oncologists. Challenges associated with visa status for hematology/oncology aspirants. Greatest visa related barriers during training % of respondents (n=59) Documentation from home country 33.9% Disruption in travel plans/ inability to unite with family 35.6% Lack of clarity in renewal instructions/ renewal process post document procurement 55.9% Ability to secure grant affected by visa 22% Non-monetary grant aspects affected by visa 13.6% Did not pursue grants due to visa 20.3% Desired resources during residency Institutional visa seminars 45.8% IMG network groups 81.4% Program flexibility to visit family overseas/ legal and financial aids 45.8%/47.5%