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Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

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reports will specifically indicate whether the candidate's medical school meets the Recognized Accreditation Policy, determined by accreditation from agencies recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education or the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation. This enhancement aims to streamline the evaluation of medical school credentials, enhancing transparency and efficiency in the residency application process. However, IMGs will still be able to pursue ECFMG Certification even if their medical school doesn't meet the Recognized Accreditation Policy, as long as their school meets ECFMG's current requirements. The accrediting agencies that are WFME recognized are:
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As of April 2021, ECFMG certifications obtained by fulfilling the clinical and communication skills requirements through a pathway will expire in 2022 if the applicant does not enter an ACGME-accredited training program in 2021 or 2022. If the applicant enters a training program they become permanent
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Expected to be implemented in late 2024, a notable development is anticipated in medical education application procedures. ECFMG Status Reports will be integrated into Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) submissions, offering vital information for institutions assessing applicants. These
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Intended for applicants who have not yet obtained a license/registration to practice medicine without supervision (Pathway 1) and who have not already passed an acceptable standardized clinical skills exam for medical licensure (Pathway 2). These applicants must be students or recent graduates and
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Intended for applicants who have not yet obtained a license/registration to practice medicine without supervision (Pathway 1) and who have not already passed an acceptable standardized clinical skills exam for medical licensure (Pathway 2). These applicants must be students or recent graduates and
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In comparison, regular graduates from medical schools in the United States need to complete USMLE Steps 1 and 2 as well, but can participate in the NRMP while still doing their final year of medical school before acquiring their medical diplomas. In effect, taking regular administrative delays into
113:, it created what became known as the ECFMG certification which included examinations and assessments of English language proficiency. In 1974, it merged with the Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates and changed its name to its current name Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. 108:
ECFMG was founded in 1956, in response to the increase need for the evaluation of the readiness of international medical graduates entering the physician workforce during the 1950 expansion of US healthcare system. Its initial name was Evaluation Service for Foreign Medical Graduates (ESFMG). Later
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Intended for applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and/or have failed Step 2 CS one or more times. To meet the requirements for Pathway 6, the applicant's clinical skills must be evaluated by licensed physicians using ECFMG's Mini-Clinical Evaluation
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Intended for applicants who have not yet obtained a license/registration to practice medicine without supervision (Pathway 1) and who have not already passed an acceptable standardized clinical skills exam for medical licensure (Pathway 2). An applicant to Pathway 3, 4, or 5 must be a student or a
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A pilot project was started in 2012 for an electronic verification system of medical credentials from international medical schools, with participation from approximately 20 international medical schools. After completion of this pilot project, ECFMG now allows all medical schools to register for
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Intended for applicants who do not currently hold, or have not recently held, a license/registration to practice medicine without supervision (Pathway 1), but who successfully completed a secure, standardized clinical skills exam as a requirement for medical licensure or registration in a country
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and guidance agency for non-U.S. physicians and graduates of non-U.S. medical schools who seek to practice in the United States or apply for a U.S. medical residency program. It provides comprehensive information and resources on licensure, the U.S. Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE),
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historically accredited M.D.-granting institutions in both the U.S. and Canada (today, Canada has its own accrediting body that generally follows U.S. standards). M.D. graduates of American and Canadian institutions are not considered IMGs in either country.
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International medical schools can send Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs) and medical school transcripts on behalf of their students and graduates to ECFMG through digital documents by the ECFMG Medical School Web Portal (EMSWP)
165:(WDOM). The official source to confirm that a medical school meets ECFMG's requirements, is the World Directory at www.wdoms.org. Schools that meet the requirements will have an ECFMG note stating this in the schools’ World Directory listing. 137:(abbreviated NRMP, but also called "the Match"). To participate in the NRMP, an IMG is required to have an ECFMG certification by the "rank order list certification deadline" time (usually in February of the year of the match). 378:
Selected Caribbean countries: Anguilla, Aruba, Cayman, Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sint Maarten, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine - Jordan
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examination, ECFMG moved to a pathways model for verification of clinical skills. IMGs who have already taken Step 2 CS may still use it to fulfill this requirement. All other IMGs will need:
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for foreign medical students/ graduates, or in short, it acts as the designated Dean's office for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in contrast to the American Medical Graduates (AMGs).
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account, and with residency programs starting around July, there is a gap of at least half a year for IMGs between graduation from medical school and beginning of a residency program.
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Medical School Accredited by Agency that Has Received a Determination of Comparability by National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA)
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Intended for applicants who currently hold or have recently held a license/registration to practice medicine without supervision (unless they failed Step 2 CS)
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global pandemic has brought some changes to the ECFMG certification process. First as AAMC suspended temporarily and later eliminated the
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Indonesian Accreditation Agency for Higher Education in Health (Lembaga Akreditasi Mandiri Perguruan Tinggi Kesehatan) (IAAHEH/LAM-PTKes)
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Mexican Board for Accreditation of Medical Education (Consejo Mexicano para la Acreditación de la Educación Médica (COMAEM)
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Medical School Issues Degree Jointly with a U.S. Medical School Accredited by Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)
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Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie) (NVAO)
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Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus
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Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Health care (ECAQA)
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Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP)
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that year, it was renamed Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates. In conjunction with
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Medical School Accredited by Agency Recognized by World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)
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recent graduate of a medical school that meets eligibility requirements established by ECFMG.
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American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOA COCA)
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System of Accreditation of Medical Schools/Sistema de Acreditação de Escolas Médicas (SAEME)
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Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education, Ministry of Education (WCAME)
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Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions (AQACHEI)
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Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University of Bahrain - Bahrain
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The Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs (TEPDAD)
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Assessment of communication skills, including English language proficiency through the
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hospital program. The general method to apply for residency programs is through the
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Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU)
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Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (in cooperation with LCME)
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Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA)
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National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE)
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To acquire an ECFMG certification, the candidate must meet these requirements:
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Agency for Accreditation of Educational Programs and Organizations (AAEPO)
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National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA)
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Already Passed a Standardized Clinical Skills Exam for Medical Licensure
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Secretariat of the Council for Undergraduate Medical Education (SCUME)
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Meet the clinical and communication skills requirements (see section)
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Countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dominican Republic
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ECFMG acts as the registration and score-reporting agency for the
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Evaluation of Clinical Patient Encounters by Licensed Physicians
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Medical education credential requirements: A medical diploma of
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ECFMG Launches Electronic Verification of Medical Credentials
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Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE)
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National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE)
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nrmp.org > U.S. Seniors > Registering with the NRMP
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Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education (JACME)
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must meet eligibility requirements established by ECFMG.
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must meet eligibility requirements established by ECFMG.
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Turkey, State of Palestine, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon
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Already Licensed to Practice Medicine in Another Country
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Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM)
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Medical and health organizations based in Pennsylvania
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Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR)
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Institute for Medical Education Accreditation (IMEAc)
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Meet the requirements for one of the pathways below:
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Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
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Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
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National Center for Academic Accreditations (NCAAA)
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Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (AQU)
1137: 672:Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA) 1151:Medical associations based in the United States 1043:"2024 Medical School Accreditation Requirement" 174:Clinical and communication skills requirements 125:who wish to be licensed as a physician in the 353:Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) 944: 882:ecfmg.org > Medical Education Credentials 1131:United States Medical Licensing Examination 529:Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) 507:Taiwan Medical Accreditation Council (TMAC) 290: 1123: 783: 161:taken at an institution registered in the 892: 890: 639:Grenada Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) 1081:. World Federation for Medical Education 202:Pathways for ECFMG certification (2022) 606:Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB) 144:Examination Requirement: Completion of 95:are not assessed by ECFMG, because the 14: 1138: 887: 863:nrmp.org > 2012 Main Match Schedule 727:Consejo Nacional de Acreditación (CNA) 97:Liaison Committee on Medical Education 1018:"Electronic Credentials Verification" 844:nrmp.org > Independent Applicants 816:"Home > About ECFMG > History" 791:"ECFMG Celebrates 50th Anniversary" 24: 1072:"Agencies with recognition status" 576:Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, and Syria 163:World Directory of Medical Schools 135:National Resident Matching Program 25: 1167: 1110: 313:Agencies with recognition status 945:Stacy Weiner (9 February 2021). 739: 683:Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) 562:Medical Council of Ireland (MCI) 397:Australian Medical Council (AMC) 116: 1093: 1064: 1035: 1010: 997: 968: 705:Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) 150:USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge 123:international medical graduates 47:residencies, and recognition." 938: 919: 875: 856: 837: 808: 754: 236:other than the United States. 65:or fellowship programs in the 13: 1: 748: 296:after one year of residency. 1101:"ERAS: Supporting Documents" 7: 768:. Internal Affairs Office, 419:Sudan Medical Council (SMC) 299: 10: 1172: 884:Last update: 25 April 2021 770:US Department of Education 103: 32:US Department of Education 664:Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 400:Australia and New Zealand 212: 209: 206: 192:Occupational English Test 631:United States of America 466:Netherlands and Flanders 356:United States of America 291:Certification expiration 50:Through its program of 129:is to complete a U.S. 1003:ECFMG press release: 284:Exercise (Mini-CEX). 121:The main pathway for 44:credential evaluation 42:) is "the authorized 532:United Arab Emirates 27:US government agency 1007:. February 28, 2012 935:Updated August 2010 853:Updated 09/08/2010. 314: 203: 87:Medical schools in 931:2011-07-21 at the 872:Updated 05/19/2011 868:2011-07-16 at the 849:2011-07-21 at the 477:Mexico, Costa Rica 312: 201: 1146:Medical education 737: 736: 367:Republic of Korea 324:Recognized until 288: 287: 159:medical education 30:According to the 16:(Redirected from 1163: 1127: 1122: 1121: 1119:Official website 1105: 1104: 1097: 1091: 1090: 1088: 1086: 1076: 1068: 1062: 1061: 1059: 1057: 1039: 1033: 1032: 1030: 1028: 1014: 1008: 1001: 995: 994: 992: 990: 972: 966: 965: 963: 961: 942: 936: 923: 917: 916: 914: 912: 894: 885: 879: 873: 860: 854: 841: 835: 834: 832: 830: 812: 806: 805: 803: 802: 793:. 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Retrieved 765: 756: 743: 634:August 2032 620:Saudi Arabia 335: 307: 303: 294: 210:Description 177: 168: 146:USMLE Step 1 139: 120: 107: 86: 79: 49: 39: 35: 29: 711:April 2033 700:April 2033 689:March 2033 623:April 2032 612:March 2032 601:March 2032 513:April 2029 502:April 2029 491:April 2029 480:April 2029 392:March 2027 359:April 2024 348:April 2024 1140:Categories 801:2007-08-20 749:References 733:June 2033 598:Kyrgyzstan 568:June 2030 557:June 2030 535:June 2029 524:June 2029 425:June 2028 336:July 2023 71:accredited 1047:ecfmg.org 980:ecfmg.org 902:ecfmg.org 820:ECFMG.org 722:May 2033 686:Sri Lanka 455:Indonesia 277:Pathway 6 265:Pathway 5 253:Pathway 4 241:Pathway 3 229:Pathway 2 218:Pathway 1 184:Step 2 CS 131:residency 77:(ACGME). 69:that are 63:residency 61:to enter 59:graduates 1079:wfme.org 1056:March 2, 1027:25 April 989:25 April 960:25 April 951:AAMC.org 929:Archived 911:25 April 866:Archived 847:Archived 829:19 April 775:18 April 730:Colombia 708:Malaysia 444:Thailand 321:Country 300:Projects 207:Pathway 180:COVID-19 1085:2 March 675:Bahrain 642:Grenada 609:Hungary 433:Georgia 318:Agency 104:History 73:by the 56:medical 766:ed.gov 543:Cyprus 510:Taiwan 499:Brazil 345:Canada 305:free. 213:Notes 89:Canada 34:, the 1075:(PDF) 1051:ECFMG 1022:ECFMG 984:ECFMG 906:ECFMG 824:ECFMG 653:Spain 554:China 488:Egypt 422:Sudan 389:Japan 82:USMLE 40:ECFMG 18:ECFMG 1087:2024 1058:2024 1029:2021 991:2021 962:2021 955:AAMC 913:2021 831:2021 777:2021 521:Iran 178:The 148:and 111:NBME 93:M.D. 1142:: 1077:. 1049:. 1045:. 1020:. 982:. 978:. 953:. 949:. 904:. 900:. 889:^ 822:. 818:. 764:. 1103:. 1089:. 1060:. 1031:. 993:. 964:. 915:. 833:. 804:. 779:. 38:( 20:)

Index

ECFMG
US Department of Education
credential evaluation
certification
medical
graduates
residency
United States
accredited
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
USMLE
Canada
M.D.
Liaison Committee on Medical Education
NBME
international medical graduates
United States
residency
National Resident Matching Program
USMLE Step 1
USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge
medical education
World Directory of Medical Schools
COVID-19
Step 2 CS
Occupational English Test
"Recognition of Foreign Qualifications: Professional Recognition"
US Department of Education
"ECFMG Celebrates 50th Anniversary"
the original

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