Using data on the characteristics of 1043 physicians graduated from a medical school in Korea, analyses the effects of immigrant status, gender, and year of graduation on their choice of medical practice specialty. The specialty areas are categorized into two groups, core and periphery, on the basis of the reported median income of practitioners in each specialty. The results of log-linear model analyses indicate that female physicians were more likely to immigrate to the United States than male physicians, although the general trend of immigration did not notably change over time. Immigrant status shows a significant peripherization effect as immigrant physicians were much more likely to practice in peripheral areas than their home-staying counterparts. Gender status is also found to have a significant peripherization effect. When these Korean immigrant physicians are compared with the US-educated physicians in regard to their areas of practice, the same pattern of peripherization is observed among the immigrants. Despite their secular image of success, immigrant professionals in the United States carry on the same kind of marginal economic activities within the professional labor market as unskilled immigrant workers do within the nonprofessional labor market. -from Authors

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Health Personnel Korea Americas economics population Migrants demography developing country health care personnel Population Dynamics Developing Countries immigration sex difference Asia Developed Countries Occupational Health Services occupational health service Far East Eastern Asia Physicians Time Factors socioeconomic status USA Koreans health United States North America social status Socioeconomic Factors socioeconomics Western Hemisphere Article employment status migration physician international migration Sex Factors population and population related phenomena developed country Demographic Factors Emigration and Immigration Economic Factors Transients and Migrants Delivery of Health Care social class Northern America Population Characteristics employment health care delivery Employment-based Services Occupational Status time