Other ECFMG Programs

Electronic Residency Application Service

ECFMG participates in the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), which enables individuals to apply electronically for first-year and second-year (PGY-1 and PGY-2) residency positions in accredited programs of graduate medical education in the United States. Students and graduates of U.S. and Canadian (LCME- and AOA-accredited) medical schools apply for these positions through the dean's office at their medical schools. International medical students and graduates apply for these positions through ECFMG, which serves as their designated dean's office.

Applicants to programs in specialties participating in ERAS request an ERAS Token, a unique identification number, from ECFMG. The Token allows applicants to complete their residency applications on the AAMC's ERAS website and transmit their applications and personal statements directly to the ERAS PostOffice. Applicants mail supporting documents, such as dean's letters, medical school transcripts, and letters of recommendation, to ECFMG. ECFMG scans these documents and transmits their images electronically to the ERAS PostOffice. ECFMG also provides reports of applicants' ECFMG certification status and, if requested by applicants, USMLE transcripts. Once applications and supporting documents have been transmitted to the ERAS PostOffice, they are available for downloading by the designated programs.

The ECFMG ERAS office issued ERAS Tokens for more than 14,000 international medical students/graduates applying for residency positions that begin in July 2003. For these applicants, the ECFMG ERAS office transmitted more than 300,000 supporting documents and USMLE transcripts.

Former ECFMG Programs Now Administered by FAIMER

Several educational programs for the international medical community that were formerly administered by ECFMG are now administered by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), a nonprofit foundation established in 2000 by ECFMG. These programs include the International Fellowships in Medical Education, the Short-term Exchange Fellowships, the Institutional Grant Program, and the Consultation Program. Refer to FAIMER's 2002 Annual Report for detailed information on FAIMER and its programs.

Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program was established by the U.S. Information and Educational Act of 1948 and further developed by the Fulbright Hays Act of 1961. The program facilitates educational and cultural exchange in order to promote mutual understanding and stimulate an exchange of ideas and collaboration among people of the United States and other nations. Those who hold a J-1 visa are referred to as Exchange Visitors. The rules of participation in the Exchange Visitor Program are defined by federal regulation (22 CFR § 62).

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State authorizes ECFMG to serve as the J-1 visa sponsor for all exchange visitor physicians enrolled in U.S. programs of graduate medical education or training. Although many universities and research institutions throughout the United States are authorized to sponsor J-1 Exchange Visitors in the categories of student, research scholar, or professor, ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training programs.

During the 2001-2002 academic year, ECFMG sponsored a total of 8,124 J-1 physicians for clinical training in U.S. residency and fellowship programs. An additional sixty-five foreign national physicians were sponsored by ECFMG as J-1 Research Scholars for activities involving observation, consultation, teaching, and research.

Exhibits 5-7 provide a profile of the J-1 exchange visitor physicians sponsored by ECFMG for the 2001-2002 academic year, including their most frequent nations of origin, the states with the highest concentrations of J-1 physicians, and the top specialties pursued by J-1 physicians.

International Credentials Services

The ECFMG International Credentials Services (EICS) was approved by the ECFMG Board of Trustees in 1999 and began operations in 2000. EICS provides a service to international medical registration and licensing authorities by obtaining primary source verification of credentials for physicians who completed their medical education outside the authorities' jurisdiction. The physician credentials verified by EICS include medical school diplomas, transcripts, certificates of postgraduate medical training, and medical registration or licensure. In providing this service, ECFMG utilizes its well-established and internationally recognized procedures for verifying medical credentials for the purpose of ECFMG Certification.

In 2002, EICS processed 1,200 medical credentials for medical registration boards in Namibia, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Nova Scotia, and South Africa. In June 2002, EICS was represented at the Fifth Annual International Conference on Medical Regulation held in Toronto, Canada, where EICS staff discussed the service with medical licensing representatives from other countries. Subsequently, additional international licensing jurisdictions have expressed interest in utilizing EICS in conjunction with their medical licensing processes.