The coastal town of Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island is becoming a hub for disillusioned American physicians, The Wall Street Journal reported April 23.

Burnout since the start of the pandemic has spurred some physicians to leave the U.S., and New Zealand has several advantages for those set on relocating. Healthcare is free, English is the dominant language and many specialties require no extra training or certification, Prudence Thomson of Accent Health Recruitment told the Journal.

The healthcare recruitment firm began receiving 80 inquiries from Americans per week after the pandemic, up from around two a week. About 20% of those physicians made the move to New Zealand. The trend has been supported by changes the country enacted in 2025 to make it faster and easier for foreign-trained physicians to register and work in the country. New Zealand’s health minister said about 530 American physicians currently work there, according to the Journal.

Americans have told Ms. Thomson they are seeking a more sustainable pace of work and better work-life balance.

For U.S. hospitals and health systems, the trend spotlights the importance of recruitment efforts. While many of the reasons physicians are leaving the country are not entirely within systems’ control — such as the threat of malpractice lawsuits and concerns about patients’ ability to pay for care — others can be addressed, such as staffing shortages.

While burnout among U.S. physicians has lessened, three specialties still report rates above 49%: emergency medicine, urological surgery and hematology/oncology.

Amid this backdrop, health systems are exploring key drivers of burnout and turnover. Pay and financial incentives once had the most significant effect on physician recruitment, but physicians are increasingly making decisions on other factors, especially work-life balance — as highlighted by the interest in working in New Zealand.

Health system leaders recently told Becker’s that physicians are prioritizing cultural fit and flexibility, including reasonable clinic volumes, call expectations and protected time.

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