Understanding the Requirements for ECFMG Certification

As a foreign medical graduate, the most significant difference between your residency application process and that of an American student is the requirement for certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). This organization was founded in 1956 with the goal of ensuring that foreign medical students who enter ACGME-accredited programs in the United States are sufficiently prepared for the rigors of a U.S. residency. There are three requirements that foreign medical graduates need to meet in order to become certified by the ECFMG: application, education and examination.

Application

The first step of the ECFMG certification process is filling out an application. Any foreign medical student or graduate can apply, as long as you have earned (or are in the process of earning) a medical degree from a school that is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. To start the process, you will need to go the ECFMG website and request an identification number. From there, you can log in and start filling out the application.

Educational Requirements

The most important thing you need to do to show the ECFMG that you are ready for a U.S. medical residency is — of course — to earn your medical degree! You need to have completed at least four years of medical study at one of the medical schools that is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, and you need to provide documentation that you have completed all of the necessary credits for graduation. It is important to note that you can apply for ECFMG certification while you are still finishing your degree, but you will not be awarded a certificate until you have received your medical diploma and submitted your final transcripts.

Examination Requirements

After you have applied for ECFMG certification, you can apply to take the required exams. For ECFMG certification, you need to pass step 1 and step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The Step 1 test covers the fundamentals of medical science — that is, the information that is typically covered during the first two years of medical school in the United States. The Step 2 tests examine your clinical knowledge and clinical skills, which you can build during medical school and by completing student electives and graduate externships in the United States. Once you pass these exams, you will not only have met the requirements for ECFMG certification, but you will also be eligible to take Step 3 of the USMLE.

It is important to note that some states have additional requirements that foreign medical graduates are required to meet in order to enter a residency program in that state, which can be found at the website of the Federal State Medical Boards. These additional stipulations include specific medical school training requirements, a maximum number of attempts on the licensing examinations, and completing the licensing exams within certain time limits. If you have your eye on a particular residency program, or you know you want to work in a particular city, make sure to find out about these requirements.
The long process of preparing for and applying to residency programs in the United States can be complicated and challenging, but FMG Portal offers valuable resources to help you get matched. Contact us today for more information!

Tips for Foreign Medical Residency Applicants: Plan Ahead

In less than a month, the medical residency application process for 2018 is going to get underway. If you are a foreign medical student or medical school graduate planning to apply for a residency program in the United States in 2018, one of the best things you can do right now is to get a jump start on the process by familiarizing yourself with the application timeline and the basic application requirements. That way, you can create an application preparation plan that makes the most of all the time you have this summer, so you won’t be left scrambling to get everything together at the last minute.

The 2018 ERAS Timeline for Medical Residencies

The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) has released the official dates for the 2018 medical residency application process. ERAS 2018 officially begins on June 6, 2017, when you will be able to log on to MyERAS and start working on your application. You have all summer to get your application ready, and you can start sending it out to residency programs on September 6, 2017. A week later, on September 15, 2017, they will start receiving your application. On October 1, 2017, your Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) will be released to the schools as well.

Understanding the Components of the Application

As you get ready to start the medical residency application process, it is important to know what materials you will be expected to submit. Here is a brief overview of the application components for foreign medical residency applicants. Stay tuned to the blog for more in-depth discussions of each component this summer!

ECFMG Certification. Before you can apply for a residency program in the United States, you will need to have earned your ECFMG certification. For this, you will need to meet basic medical education requirements, submit an application, and pass a medical science and a clinical examination.
Curriculum Vitae (CV). On the CV, you have the chance to highlight your educational achievements, professional experience, personal interests, and other activities.
Letters of Reference. Most residency programs require the submission of three letters of reference. As a foreign medical graduate, it is important to note that some residency programs will require you to have at least one letter from a physician who is based in the United States.
Personal Statement. In your personal statement, you have the chance to tell your story — who you are, why you want to be a physician, and why you are an excellent candidate for a residency program in the United States.
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). This document will be released to your chosen residency programs by the dean of your medical school on October 1. Before then, you will need to meet with the dean to discuss your performance over the course of your education.

Looking ahead to a summer of application preparation can seem overwhelming, but there’s no need to start getting stressed out just yet! You still have lots of time to start blocking out your summer and coming up with a plan to contact letter potential letter-writers, meet with your school’s dean, and draft (and re-draft!) the essential components of your application. Now that you have an idea of what to expect this summer, you can be sure to stay on top of all the requirements throughout the 2018 medical residency application process!
Need more information about residency placement? FMG Portal offers a wide range of valuable resources. Contact us today!

Residency Specialty Spotlight: Anesthesiology

Pain management is a hot topic in the field of health care right now. If you are interested in dedicating your career to the safe and effective use of pharmacological therapy for patients during and after surgical procedures, you might want to consider pursuing a residency in anesthesiology.

About Anesthesiology

As an anesthesiologist, you would be responsible for the administration of anesthetics to patients during surgery. Before a procedure, you would develop a plan for general or regional anesthesia, accounting for a wide range of factors related to the patient’s current condition, medical history, and the nature of the procedure. During the surgery itself, you would be responsible for the administration of the anesthetic drugs, and afterward, you would remain on-call in order to assist with any complications that might arise. In addition, you would play a role in the development of post-surgery pain management strategies.

To be a successful anesthesiologist, you need to be a great team player. In the operating room, you will be working in conjunction with surgeons, surgical assistants, nurses, and technicians. In the pre- and post-operative rooms, you will share the duties of patient monitoring with nurses and nurse anesthetists. When planning a post-operative plan for pain medication, you will probably communicate closely with the patient’s regular doctor. Therefore, if you thrive in collaborative settings, anesthesiology could be the specialty area for you.

Anesthesiology Residency Programs

Anesthesiology programs in the United States last for three years. The first year is typically dedicated to learning the basics of the field through a combination of lectures, grand rounds, and clinical experience. Topics of study include intubation, line placement, and strategic planning for anesthetic administration and reversal. In the second year, you will do rotations that provide hands-on training in critical care and expose you to the subspecialty areas within the field, which include:

Obstetrical anesthesia
Cardiovascular anesthesia
Thoracic anesthesia
Neuroanesthesia
Ambulatory anesthesia
Regional anesthesia
Transplant anesthesia
Post-anesthesia pain management

The work you do in your third year of an anesthesiology residency can depend on the program and your interests within the field. If you know you want to pursue a clinical career, you will have the chance to hone your clinical skills by working with more challenging and complex cases. Alternatively, if you are interested in conducting cutting-edge pain medicine research, some programs give you the chance to conduct highly specialized research in order to advance medical knowledge in the field.

Clinical Externships in Anesthesiology

If you are a foreign medical student or medical school graduate looking to get an anesthesiology residency in the United States, a clinical externship can be a great way to gain experience and increase your likelihood of getting matched. In a clinical externship program, you would gain experience working under the supervision of multiple physicians, giving you the chance to learn about various subspecialties or even find out what it is like to balance a clinical job with pain-related research. That way, when you prepare your residency application, you can present a clear vision for your future career, and you may also be able to supplement your application with letters of recommendation from attending physicians.
If you are a foreign medical graduate and want to learn more about clinical externships in anesthesiology, or get general assistance with the overall residency application process, FMG Portal offers great resources. Contact us today to take the next step toward a future career as an anesthesiologist!

Inpatient vs Outpatient Treatment Settings: What’s the Difference?

If you are a foreign medical student thinking about applying to residency programs in the United States, one of the questions that you may be considering is the relative amount of time you will spend in inpatient and outpatient care settings. For the three specializations most commonly pursued by foreign medical graduates — internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics — the amount of inpatient and outpatient care experience you get can vary greatly between residencies, depending on the program. The right type of program for you depends on your interests and career goals.

Defining Inpatient and Outpatient Care

The term “inpatient care” encompasses all medical treatments that occur directly in hospitals, performed on patients that have been formally admitted to a facility. As an inpatient provider, you would most commonly be working with patients who have serious conditions that require overnight hospital stays. However, it is important to note that there are a wide variety of treatments that fall under the umbrella of inpatient care, ranging from common diagnostic procedures, like CT scans, to emergency surgery following a traumatic injury. If you envision yourself working in a hospital setting, you will probably want to look for a residency program that dedicates more rotations to inpatient care.

In contrast, “outpatient care,” also known as ambulatory care, occurs in non-hospital settings, like the office of a family physician, an outpatient surgery center, or a specialty services clinic. As an outpatient care provider, you would generally work with patients on a longer-term basis. For instance, as an outpatient family doctor, you would provide regular checkups, rather than just treating patients in the hospital when they are seriously ill or injured. If you are an internist specializing in endocrinology, you might prescribe a pharmacological treatment for patients with hormone-related diseases and monitor their care over the period of months or years, altering the treatment as necessary to improve long-range health outcomes and quality of life.

Choosing Between Inpatient and Outpatient Care

You don’t have to choose between a career focusing on inpatient or outpatient care before you apply for your residency, since rotations in both settings are commonly included within residency programs, especially those within internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics. But it can help to have an idea of which you are more interested in, so that you can choose a program that emphasizes one over the other.

One way for foreign medical students to gain experience in both inpatient and outpatient care is to complete a student elective program. In a three-month elective program, you have the opportunity to perform three rotations within the same specialty area, and you may be able to work under physicians in both hospital and non-hospital settings. There are also three-month plans allowing you to complete rotations under the supervision of attending physicians in three separate specialty areas, which can also give you the chance to gain experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
If you are a foreign medical student looking for an elective program, FMG Portal offers programs with both inpatient and outpatient availabilities. Contact us today for more information about the resources we provide.

Residency Specialty Spotlight: Family Medicine

One of the most popular residency specialty areas for foreign medical graduates is family medicine. According to data from the National Residency Match Program (NMRP), about 16.6% of foreign-trained physicians who were matched in the United States in 2015 had chosen family medicine as their specialty area. Although this figure is down slightly from 18.8% in 2011, family medicine has long been a mainstay specialty area for foreign medical graduates, and there are lots of opportunities in the field. Based on data provided by the American Association of Family Medicine (AAFP), about one out of every five medical office visits in the United States is with a family doctor, accounting for a total of 192 million annual visits.

About Family Medicine

As a physician focusing on family medicine, you would have the chance to work with patients of all ages and provide care for lots of different kinds of illnesses and injuries. Family doctors provide care for infants, children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Often, they provide ongoing care for families, so they have the chance to develop strong relationships with their patients, watching kids grow up and helping adults maintain their health as they get older. They provide regular checkups, help with the management of chronic illnesses, diagnose illness and injuries, and provide referrals to specialists, among many other possible tasks.

If you are planning to pursue a career in family medicine in the United States after you finish your residency, the best job outlook is in rural areas and urban areas that are currently underserved. As a family doctor in one of these settings, you would have the opportunity to provide essential medical services to patient populations that badly need the help, so a career in family medicine is a great option for foreign medical graduates who want to make a difference in the world.

Family Medicine Residency Programs

Family medicine residency programs in the United States last for three years. Over the course of the training, you would gain experience in six major medical subfields:

Pediatrics
Obstetrics and gynecology
Internal medicine
Psychiatry and neurology
Surgery
Community medicine

You might also gain experience in other areas that can be helpful in a career as a family doctor, including geriatrics, ophthalmology, radiology, emergency medicine, otolaryngology, and urology. With this broad experience, you will emerge from a residency program with the knowledge you need to provide the wide-ranging services required of family doctors.

Clinical Externships in Family Medicine

One way to get ready for a residency program in family medicine in the United States is to complete a clinical externship in the field. In one of these programs, you will have the opportunity to gain real-world experience in an American medical setting, working under the supervision of experience. Not only will you gain essential skills in the field, but you will also improve your application profile, and you may be able to get letters of recommendation from the physicians that you work with.

FMG Portal facilitates clinical externships in family medicine for foreign medical graduates, along with a wide range of other services. If you need help finding and getting matched to a family medicine residency program, contact us today!

Summer Plans for Clinical Experiences

It’s almost May, which could mean one of two things: If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is right around the corner, and you can start looking forward to longer days and warmer temperatures. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you’re probably getting ready for the longer nights and cold weather of winter.

Foreign medical students may not have the chance to take time off for travel during the summer months, but if you’re looking for a change of scenery within the next few months — or if you want to skip winter in the Southern Hemisphere — you might want to think about enrolling in a three-month clinical experience in the United States.

Clinical Electives for Foreign Medical Students

If you are currently a full-time medical student at a foreign medical school, a three-month elective experience is a great way to gain valuable experience in a U.S. clinical environment, particularly if you plan to apply for a medical residency program in the United States in the future. The most common option is to choose a program in the medical subfield in which you eventually plan to pursue a residency. Within the program, you will spend one month each with three different attending physicians within that specialty area. At the end, you will have gained hands-on medical experience, a better understanding of the U.S. medical system, and the potential for three letters of recommendation when you apply for your residency.

If you have not yet chosen a specialty area of interest, that’s okay too! A clinical elective experience can actually be a great way for foreign medical students to explore their specialization options. Some three-month clinical elective experiences allow foreign medical students to spend one month each with three different attending physicians in three different subfields. That can help you decide whether you determine which one you want to dedicate your career to, and it can also give you a better idea of how each one works in the United States. That way, when you apply for a residency in the United States, you will know that you are making the best specialization decision for you.

Applying for a Clinical Elective Program

It is important to note that many clinical elective programs require you to apply at least four weeks in advance, so if you want to spend summer in the United States, there’s no time to lose! FMG Portal offers clinical electives for foreign medical students at locations throughout the United States in a wide range of specialty areas, whether you want to focus on just one or divide your time between three. Contact us today for more information!

Residency Specialty Spotlight: Internal Medicine

According to the most recent data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the most common residency specialty for foreign medical graduates is internal medicine. In 2015, 2,763 foreign medical graduates were matched to an internal medicine residency program. That’s 43.9 percent of the total number of foreign medical graduates who were matched.

What’s more, the proportion of foreign medical graduates who choose internal medicine has only been growing over the past few years. In 2011, only 37.5 percent of matched foreign medical graduates were in internal medicine residency programs, so the proportion jumped 6.4 percent in only four years. If you are thinking about applying for medical residencies in the United States, internal medicine is an excellent specialty option to consider.

About Internal Medicine Residency Programs

Internal medicine residency programs last for three years, and they provide broad training in diagnosing and treating diseases and disorders of all organ systems. These programs typically consist of a combination of clinical practice, classroom-based seminars, and research opportunities. In addition to getting hands-on training working with patients with a wide range of internal conditions, residents are also educated in relevant topics like preventive medicine, medical ethics, cost controls, and even providing medical education. If you engage in research during your residency, you will likely be encouraged to publish your work and/or present at conferences, where you can network with others who have similar interests in the field.

Upon completion of an internal medicine program, you would be eligible to take the certification exam offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine. At this point, you could go on to become a general internist, or you could choose to pursue a fellowship in a particular subfield of interest.

Preparing for an Internal Medicine Residency Program

As a graduate of a foreign medical school, one way to increase the likelihood that you will matched to an internal medical residency program is to complete a clinical externship in internal medicine or a subspecialty area within the field. Not only does this demonstrate your interest in internal medicine, but it also indicates that you have what it takes to be successful in the U.S. medical system.

If you choose a clinical externship in a particular subspecialty area, it can serve as a signal of your commitment when it comes time to apply for fellowships.Some of the specialties in which you may find a clinical externship include:

Allergy and Immunology
Cardiology (General, Interventional or Metabolic)
Gastroenterology
Hematology
Infectious Diseases
Nephrology
Oncology
Otolaryngology
Rheumatology

Overall, internal medicine can be a great residency option for foreign medical graduates. For help finding and getting matched to an internal medicine residency program, contact us today!

Eligibility Requirements for U.S. Medical Residency Programs: Information for Foreign Medical Graduates

It’s the start of spring, which means it’s right around the time that fourth-year medical students and and trained doctors start to think about whether or not it makes sense to apply for a residency program for next year. If you’re a foreign medical student or graduate, and you are contemplating applying for a residency in the United States in 2018, your first order of business is to make sure that you are eligible and that you have a competitive application profile. That way, if there are any requirements that you still need to meet, you have ample time to fulfill them before the match process really gets underway in the fall.

Basic Requirements for ECFMG Certification

In order to apply for a residency program in the United States, you need to be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), which is the organization that evaluates whether foreign medical graduates are sufficiently prepared for a U.S. medical residency program. The ECFMG sets forth some basic requirements that you need to meet before you can even consider applying for a residency

Educational Requirements. As a foreign medical graduate, you need to have completed your degree at one of the medical schools that has been approved by the ECFMG. You can find information about your school in the World Directory of Medical Schools. In addition, you will need to provide documentation of your degree and transcripts before you can complete the ECFMG certification process.
Examination Requirements. To get ECFMG certification, you will need to pass the first and second steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The first step tests your knowledge of medical science, while the second assesses your clinical skills.

ECFMG Application. Of course, in order to be certified, you need to actually submit the application form to the ECFMG. You can begin the process as a fourth-year medical student by applying for a USMLE/ECFMG identification number, and you can take the examinations as soon as you meet the training requirements, but it is important to note that you won’t officially receive your ECFMG certification until you have actually finished your degree.

Visa Requirements

If you are not already a citizen or legal resident of the United States, you will need to get a visa. The two visa options for foreign medical graduates in residency programs are the H1-B (Temporary Worker) and J-1 (Exchange Visitor) visas. After being accepted to a residency program, your visa may be sponsored by your institution or by the ECFMG, but the United States has specific visa regulations for certain countries, so you may want to consult the U.S. embassy in your country in order to find out about possible visa restrictions.

Residency Program Requirements

Many residency programs also have specific requirements for foreign medical graduates. Depending on the school, they can include:

Medical school graduation year
Type of visa
Number of attempts on the USMLE
Previous clinical experience in the United States
Letters of recommendation from U.S.-based providers

If you have concerns about any of these factors — for example, if graduated more than a few years ago — you may want to skim through the websites of some of the schools you are considering to make sure that your degree will still be considered valid.

If you don’t have previous clinical experience in the United States, now is a great time to set up a clinical externship or enroll in an elective program for foreign medical students, which can provide valuable hands-on training in the American medical system and allow you to build relationships with recommenders who can write letters of support for your application in the fall. Even if U.S. experience is not explicitly required for your top-choice residency program, these experiences can boost the competitiveness of your application and increase the likelihood that you will get matched.

Need more help with residency placement? Contact us today!

What To Do If You Didn’t Get Matched

Match Day has come and gone, and if you are one of the fourth-year foreign medical students who was not matched, it can be hard to figure out what to do next, after working so hard during medical school and counting on a residency in the United States. But there is no reason to despair! You still have a variety of options for next year.

Participating in the Post-Match Scramble

Even now, almost a month since Match Day, there are programs with open slots. You’re most likely to find a residency in family medicine, but other specializations are also available, especially if you’re willing to keep you options open in terms of location. By being flexible and reaching out to programs that are still looking for residents , you could find yourself starting your residency this July after all.

Preparing for Next Year

Another option for students who were not matched is to wait for next year’s match process. That can give you time to strengthen your application and increase the likelihood that you will be matched the second time around. Here are some things that you may want to do:

Complete a clinical externship. One way to increase your odds of getting matched next March is to complete a clinical externship. Not only does this provide excellent clinical experience and boost your resume, but you can also get letters of recommendation.

Take clinical electives. Like externships, electives are a great way for non-matched foreign medical students to get ready for next year’s match process. In these courses, you can get a better understanding of the American medical system and make connections that can help you strengthen your application for next year.

Seek additional education. Although additional clinical experience is usually the best way to show residency programs that you have what it takes when it comes time to get matched next year, you can also expand the breadth of your experience by completing a non-medical degree or certificate program. Many graduate programs are available in part-time and online formats, which can be helpful for aspiring physicians with multiple time commitments.

Get a research job. Research is an important part of many residency programs, whether at the basic science, translational or clinical level. You may be able to find full- or part-time medical research opportunities in labs at universities or in industry, which is another way to supplement the clinical experiences that you may want to pursue between now and next year’s match.

Overall, whether you decide to search for an open residency spot or focus on strengthening your application for next year, not getting matched is not the end of the world. If you take control of the situation and go after what you want, your medical career can still get off to a great start.

Need help with residency placement? Contact us today!

Post-Match Day Advice: What To Do After Getting Matched

If you’re one of the thousands of fourth-year medical students who got matched on March 17, congratulations! After years of hard work, you finally have the chance to start working as a physician! But now that the initial excitement has worn off and you’ve celebrated properly, the start of your residency in July looms large, and there’s a lot to do in only a few months. Here are some tips to help you make sure that you will be relaxed and ready to go on the first day of your residency:

Image Credit: Flickr user Walt Stoneburner

Shop around for housing.

After being matched, finding a place to live is probably one of the first things on your mind. It is important to learn about all of the housing possibilities: Do you plan to own or rent? Will you live alone or with roommates? Are looking for a place for just yourself, or do you have a family? How does a mortgage payment or rental fee fit into your budget? As you start formulating answers to these questions, you can start looking through real estate listings and Craigslist ads to find a living situation that best meets you needs.

Look into transportation options in your new city.

Some cities have great public transportation options, while in others, owning a car is a must. As you decide where in the city you want to live, it is essential to consider what forms of transportation are available, as well as associated costs, from daily bus fare to hospital staff parking fees.

Talk to current residents.

Current residents can be a great resource as you plan out your living situation in a new city. They can also provide more information about daily life as a first-year resident. Talking to them can give you a better idea of what to expect in your first year, so you can feel comfortable and well-prepared when you start.

Connect with your class.

Since all of the residents in your class are in the same boat when it comes to this next stage of your careers, it can be helpful to connect over email or social media. Not only will you get to know your future colleagues, but you can also find out where other residents are thinking about living, exchange ideas about transportation options, and share your excitement (and nervousness!) about getting started.

Keep track of moving expenses.

Remember, the money you spend on moving expenses in 2017 can be deducted from your taxes next April. That’s a whole year away, so in order to avoid having to rack your brain when you are filling out forms next year, it can be helpful to keep a spreadsheet of the money you spend on moving, such as moving trucks, apartment cleanings and travel expenses for housing search visits.

Take care of yourself.

After four tough, hectic and rewarding years of medical school, starting your residency is exciting, but preparation also can be stressful. Remember to take a breath and step away from the whirlwind of planning obligations when you start to get overwhelmed. Whether that means going on a walk, calling a friend, or catching up on your favorite TV show, it’s important to maintain balance in your life so that you will be healthy, confident, and centered when your residency starts in July.

Author: fmgadmin