Page 53 - First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2020, Thirtieth edition [MedicalBooksVN.com]_Neat
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2 Section i Special SituationS Special SituationS
` `FIRST AID FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATE
“International medical graduate” (IMG) is the term used to describe any
` IMGs make up approximately 25%
of the US physician population. student or graduate of a non-US, non-Canadian, non-Puerto Rican medical
school, regardless of whether he or she is a US citizen/resident or not.
IMG’s Steps to Licensure in the United States
To be eligible to take the USMLE Steps, you (the applicant) must be
` More detailed information can be found in
the ECFMG Information Booklet, available officially enrolled in a medical school located outside the United States and
at www.ecfmg.org/pubshome.html. Canada that is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS;
www.wdoms.org) and meet the ECFMG eligibility requirements, both at
the time you apply for examination and on your test day. In addition, your
“Graduation Year” must be listed as “Current” at the time you apply and on
your test day.
If you are an IMG, you must go through the following steps (not necessarily
in this order) to apply for residency programs and become licensed to
practice in the United States. You must complete these steps even if you are
already a practicing physician and have completed a residency program in
your own country.
Pass USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS, as well as obtain a
` Applicants may apply online for USMLE Step
1, Step 2 CK, or Step 2 CS at www.ecfmg.org. medical school diploma (not necessarily in this order). All three exams
can be taken during medical school. If you have already graduated prior
to taking any of the Steps, then you will need to verify your academic
credentials (confirmation of enrollment and medical degree) prior to
applying for any Step exam.
You will be certified electronically by the Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) after above steps are successfully
completed. You should receive your formal ECFMG certificate in the
mail within the next 1–2 weeks. The ECFMG will not issue a certificate
(even if all the USMLE scores are submitted) until it verifies your
medical diploma with your medical school.
You must have a valid ECFMG certificate before entering an accredited
residency program in the United States, although you can begin the
Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application and
interviews before you receive the certificate.
Apply for residency positions in your fields of interest, either directly
or through the ERAS and the National Residency Matching Program
(NRMP), otherwise known as “the Match.” To be entered into the
Match, you need to have passed all the examinations necessary for
ECFMG certification (ie, Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS) by the
rank order list deadline (usually in late February before the Match).
If you do not pass these exams by the deadline, you will be withdrawn
from the Match.
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