Certification
Medical Education Credentials
An international medical graduate must have had at least four credit years (academic years for which credit has been given toward completion of the medical curriculum) in attendance at a medical school that is listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). The physician's graduation year must be included in the medical school's IMED listing.
Applicants for ECFMG Certification must also document completion of all requirements for, and receipt of, the final medical diploma. For each diploma received, ECFMG obtains primary source verification by contacting the medical school that issued the diploma. Credentials are not considered complete until ECFMG receives such verification directly from the medical school.
Effective April 1, 2002, ECFMG requires that an applicant's medical school and graduation year be listed in IMED. Prior to this date, ECFMG required that an applicant's medical school be listed at the time of graduation in the World Directory of Medical Schools, published by the World Health Organization.
IMED is a web-based resource that provides accurate, up-to-date information on the world's medical schools. IMED is freely available on the ECFMG website. For more information on IMED, refer to International Medical Education Directory and to FAIMER's 2002 Annual Report.
FAIMER is not an accrediting agency. The medical schools listed in IMED are those that are recognized by the appropriate government agencies in the countries where the schools are located. The medical schools listed for a given country, and the information available for each school listed, are provided by these agencies and the medical schools. Listing of a medical school in IMED does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement by FAIMER.
The terms ECFMG®, CSA®, and FAIMER® are registered in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.