Intealth ECFMG

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

Recognized Accreditation Policy


Overview


Intealth’s Recognized Accreditation Policy fosters global accreditation efforts and promotes harmonized standards for evaluating undergraduate medical education worldwide. It is one of the many ways that Intealth is working to advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all.

The Recognized Accreditation Policy will be implemented starting in late 2024. A long-term initiative, the policy was introduced in 2010 by ECFMG, now a division of Intealth, and later known as “2023 Accreditation.” While the policy has evolved over time, Intealth's commitment to a meaningful, global system of accreditation for undergraduate medical education remains constant.

IMPORTANT
As was initially announced in October 2022, when the policy is implemented in late 2024, it will not be a requirement for ECFMG Certification. Please see below for further details on the policy’s implementation.

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Implementation


What Will Change

Implementation in late 2024 will consist of reporting which schools meet the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy, as described below.

If a medical school meets the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy, a notation will be added to the:

  • School’s listing in the World Directory of Medical Schools . This reporting will provide valuable information to current and future medical students, medical regulatory authorities, and others around the world.
  • ECFMG Status Reports for the students and graduates of that school applying to U.S. graduate medical education (GME) positions through the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) and similar services. This reporting will serve as a valuable additional data point on the educational background of international medical students and graduates (IMGs) applying to U.S. GME.

What Will Not Change

This implementation will not affect:

  • An individual’s eligibility for ECFMG Certification. IMGs can continue to apply for and pursue ECFMG Certification, even if their medical school currently does not meet the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy. IMGs can pursue ECFMG Certification as long as their medical school meets ECFMG’s current requirements.
  • Medical school eligibility for an ECFMG Sponsor Note.
  • Users of other ECFMG services, such as EPIC.

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Recognized Accreditation


“Recognized accreditation” means that the accrediting agency of a medical school has itself been reviewed and recognized by an external quality assurance organization. This quality assurance/recognition organization, in turn, has been reviewed and approved by Intealth. Only medical schools accredited by an agency that is recognized by an organization approved by Intealth will satisfy the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy.

In addition to the above, the school must have met ECFMG’s Medical School Requirements, as indicated by the Sponsor Note in the school’s World Directory listing.

At the current time, accrediting agencies recognized by either the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) or the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) meet the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy.

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Approved Recognition Organizations


To date, Intealth has approved two organizations for the recognition of medical school accrediting agencies. Medical schools accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by one of the following organizations meet the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy.

  • The WFME Recognition Programme is designed to provide an independent, transparent and rigorous method of ensuring that the accreditation of medical schools worldwide is at an internationally accepted and high standard. WFME evaluates the compliance of accrediting agencies with pre-defined criteria. Based on guidelines developed by the World Health Organization and WFME, these criteria are intended to provide sufficient flexibility for the development of accreditation standards that fit the context of a country’s medical education system.

    A list of accrediting agencies recognized by WFME and the countries served by these agencies is available here .

  • NCFMEA is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate the accreditation standards applied by a country to its medical schools and to determine the comparability of those standards to those applied to U.S. medical schools. A NCFMEA determination of comparability is required for a country’s medical schools to participate in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Student Loan Program. For a country to be eligible for a comparability determination or redetermination, at least one of its accredited medical schools must enroll U.S. citizens, and at least one accredited medical school must become certified to participate in the loan program within six years of the comparability determination.

    A list of countries and agencies that have received a determination of comparability by NCFMEA is available here .

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Frequently Asked Questions


  1. My school doesn’t currently meet the requirements of Intealth’s Recognized Accreditation Policy. Do I need to apply for ECFMG Certification before 2024?
    No. When the policy is implemented in late 2024, it will not affect anyone’s eligibility for ECFMG Certification. This means that IMGs can continue to apply for and pursue ECFMG Certification, even if their medical school currently does not meet the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy. This also means that there is no benefit to applying for ECFMG Certification until you are ready to begin the certification process.

  2. Will the Recognized Accreditation Policy affect whether an IMG is eligible to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)?
    No. When implemented in late 2024, the policy will not affect eligibility to take the USMLE.

  3. Is there anything I need to do before 2024 to prepare for the Recognized Accreditation Policy?
    No. There is nothing you need to do. As stated above, when implemented in late 2024, the Recognized Accreditation Policy will have no impact on an individual’s eligibility for ECFMG Certification.

  4. How will the Recognized Accreditation Policy reporting work?
    When the policy is implemented in late 2024, if a medical school meets the requirements of the policy, a notation will be added to the school’s listing in the World Directory of Medical Schools. A notation also will be added to the ECFMG Status Reports for students and graduates of that school who are applying to U.S. GME positions through the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) and similar services.

  5. Is the Recognized Accreditation Policy related to MyIntealth, the new online system for accessing services?
    No. MyIntealth provides a new, modern online environment for accessing our services. It is not related to the Recognized Accreditation Policy.

  6. I’m waiting for my school to get an ECFMG Sponsor Note in the World Directory of Medical Schools so that I can apply for ECFMG Certification. Will the Recognized Accreditation Policy prevent my school from getting an ECFMG Sponsor Note?
    No. When implemented in late 2024, the policy will not affect a medical school’s eligibility for an ECFMG Sponsor Note. Please refer to Information on Sponsor Notes in the World Directory of Medical Schools for details on the current process for a school to obtain an ECFMG Sponsor Note.

  7. My medical school currently has an ECFMG Sponsor Note but it is not accredited by a recognized agency. Will the Recognized Accreditation Policy cause my school to lose its ECFMG Sponsor Note?
    No. When implemented in late 2024, the policy will not affect a medical school’s eligibility for an ECFMG Sponsor Note. Please refer to Information on Sponsor Notes in the World Directory of Medical Schools for more information.

  8. I am an IMG seeking to apply for registration/licensure in other countries. These countries require that I use ECFMG’s EPIC to verify my credentials. Does the Recognized Accreditation Policy also apply to this process?
    No. The Recognized Accreditation Policy will not affect users of EPIC.

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More Information


The Recognized Accreditation Policy will continue to evolve at Intealth’s sole discretion. We are committed to keeping all stakeholders informed as we move forward. Please monitor this web page for the latest information. Specific questions regarding the policy may be sent to rap@ecfmg.org.

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Resources


The documents below provide background regarding the rationale and development of the policy.

2022 Update

2020 Journal Article

Past Progress Updates

2010 Press Release

Background Document

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[Last update: December 22, 2023]

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