IMG Advisors Network (IAN)
Background
ECFMG has developed a series of initiatives for IMGs who plan to come to the United States for GME. These initiatives are designed to facilitate the transition for these IMGs into U.S. medicine and culture.
These efforts respond to the growing recognition that, even though many IMGs arrive with excellent prior medical education and fluency in English, there are still many issues that are confusing and unclear. The U.S. health care system and the institutions where IMGs train may be organized and operate very differently from those with which they are familiar. They must learn to live and work in the United States and adjust to differences in language and culture. This transition can be quite stressful not only for the physician but for family members as well when they accompany the IMG.
Most IMGs do make the necessary transitions and eventually become comfortable working in U.S. hospitals and clinics and living in the United States. However, ECFMG’s discussions with focus groups of IMGs indicate that this transition could be facilitated by:
- Advice from other IMGs who have entered U.S. training programs and can provide very practical and useful answers to questions and concerns on a wide range of topics.
- Access to this advice and other acculturation resources before leaving the home country, where these resources may be limited, and before the demands and challenges of the new training program begin.
To accomplish this, ECFMG developed the IMG Advisors Network.