Now Available: New ECHO Resources for ECFMG-certified Physicians
Each month, the ECFMG Certificate Holders Office (ECHO) publishes free resources for ECFMG-certified physicians, and those about to be certified, who are planning their careers.
ECHO is pleased to announce that the following are now available.
- Have you wondered how physicians can use social media appropriately? We reached out to Humayun J. Chaudhry, D.O., an expert on the topic of social media to find out more about how physicians can use social media while maintaining their professionalism. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) of the United States, Inc., Dr. Chaudhry provides valuable insights into this issue. Learn more in Ask the Experts: Physicians and Appropriate Use of Social Media.
- The results of the 2013 National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match℠ are in! Are you curious about how IMGs performed? Check out IMG Performance in the 2013 Match for data at a glance and links to where you can learn more about the results.
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The Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPICSM) is a powerful, new on-line tool from ECFMG. EPIC enables you to create a digital portfolio of your primary-source verified credentials related to your medical education, training, and registration/licensure. Through EPIC, you can send reports demonstrating the authenticity of your credentials to any organization, anywhere in the world, throughout your career. View our resource Introducing EPICSM ―A Powerful and Innovative Career Development Tool for the World’s Physicians to learn more about the special benefits EPIC has for ECFMG-certified physicians.
In addition to providing valuable resources, ECHO offers certified physicians ways to stay connected with ECFMG and its expertise. Through ECHO, certified physicians can also connect with information from other organizations and experts, and each other. ECHO offers new ways for certified physicians to communicate with ECFMG, for example, by participating in ECHO’s monthly surveys and sending feedback to ECHO.
For more information, visit the ECHO section of the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/echo.
IMG Performance in the 2013 Match
For the eleventh consecutive year, the number of first-year (PGY-1) residency positions offered through the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match® increased. A total of 26,392 first-year positions were offered in the 2013 Match. This represents an increase of 2,358 positions compared to last year and an increase of nearly 5,800 positions since 2002.
The number of IMGs who matched to first-year positions increased by 1,425 compared to 2012. Of the 12,683 IMGs who participated in the 2013 Match, 6,311 (49.8%) matched. In the 2012 Match, 4,886 (43.9%) IMGs were matched to first-year positions. (These data include a small number of Fifth Pathway applicants who participated in the 2013 and 2012 Matches.)
Of the 7,568 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,601 (47.6%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions in 2013 increased for the second year in a row, this year by 826.
Of the 5,095 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 2,706 (53.1%) were matched to first-year positions, an increase of 604 over last year. This is the tenth consecutive year that there has been an increase in the number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions.
The total number of IMGs who will fill PGY-1 positions for the 2013-2014 academic year may be higher than the number obtaining positions through the 2013 Match. Although the majority of PGY-1 positions in the United States are filled through the Match, in past years a significant number of IMG applicants obtained positions outside of the Match. For example, while 4,626 IMGs obtained PGY-1 positions through the 2011 Match, 6,754 IMGs entered PGY-1 for the 2011-2012 academic year.
For the 2013 Match, the NRMP introduced an “All-In” policy. This policy requires that, to participate in the Match, programs must register and attempt to fill all of their residency positions through the Main Residency Match, or through another national matching plan. Programs must place all positions in the Match or no positions in the Match. This policy is a factor in the higher numbers, compared to last year, of both positions offered through the 2013 Match (up 2,358 or 9.8%) and the number of IMGs participating in the 2013 Match (up 1,549 or 13.9%). It also, presumably, reduced the number of positions available outside of the 2013 Match. For more on the NRMP’s new All-In policy, visit the NRMP website and Ask the Experts: The NRMP’s New “All-In” Policy, a resource of the ECFMG Certificate Holders Office (ECHO).
About the Match
The annual NRMP Match is the system by which applicants are matched with available residency positions in U.S. graduate medical education (GME) programs. Participants submit to the NRMP a list of residency programs, in order of preference. Ranked lists of preferred residency candidates are likewise submitted by U.S. GME programs with available positions. The matching of applicants to available positions is performed by computer algorithm. The Match results announced in March of each year are for GME programs that typically begin the following July.
Additional Resources on the Match and Match Results
The preceding data are taken from the Advance Data Tables for the 2013 Main Residency Match compiled by the NRMP. These tables provide detailed information on the positions offered and filled by the Match in 2013 and prior years. To access these tables, or to obtain further information on the NRMP, visit www.nrmp.org.
The June issue of Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, usually offers an analysis of Match results from the preceding March. For more information, visit your medical school’s library or www.academicmedicine.org.
Late each year, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association traditionally publishes an in-depth analysis of graduate medical education in the United States. This analysis includes the number of IMGs entering and continuing in U.S. GME programs and a breakdown of IMG resident physicians by specialty and subspecialty. Visit your medical school’s library or http://jama.ama-assn.org.
IMGs Participating in 2013 Match Should Apply for Step 2 CS Now
International medical students/graduates and graduates of Fifth Pathway programs who plan to participate in the 2013 Main Residency Match (in March 2013) are reminded that they must take Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) by December 31, 2012. As published in the 2012 Schedule for Reporting Step 2 CS Results, if you do not take Step 2 CS by December 31, 2012, your result will not be available in time to participate in the 2013 Match.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This deadline applies only to participation in the 2013 Main Residency Match. For information on deadlines to participate in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), monitor the NRMP website.
If you need to pass Step 2 CS to participate in the 2013 Match, you are strongly encouraged to apply for Step 2 CS now. If you do not register early and schedule a test date as soon as possible, you may not be able to obtain a test date in 2012.
At the time of this writing, the earliest available test date at any test center is in August 2012. Traditionally, there has been high demand for testing dates during the second half of the year. Due to planned changes in the Step 2 CS exam, there will be no Step 2 CS examinations from May 20, 2012 through June 16, 2012; as a result of these changes, the interval between testing and score reporting for examinees testing from June 17, 2012 through November 3, 2012 will be 2-3 weeks longer than for examinees testing during other periods. Additionally, test sessions at all test centers may be subject to scheduling restrictions that may limit the number of test dates available to you.
To maximize your chances of obtaining a test date in 2012, apply for Step 2 CS now, provided you meet the eligibility requirements. Once registered, schedule your testing appointment as soon as possible. Early registration and scheduling may offer a number of benefits. If you plan to apply for Step 2 CS, you should consider the following:
- Step 2 CS sessions are opened 10 to 12 months in advance.
- Applicants registered for Step 2 CS can schedule and take the exam during the 12-month eligibility period that follows their registration. By registering early, applicants increase the likelihood they will be able to obtain a testing appointment for a preferred date/test center.
- Applicants who schedule a testing appointment can change the testing appointment without cost, provided they give more than 14 days’ notice. See Rescheduling in the ECFMG Information Booklet.
- Applicants who take Step 2 CS earlier in the year and receive a failing result are more likely to have the opportunity to retake the exam in 2012 and receive their result in time to participate in the 2013 Match.
Updated information on Step 2 CS scheduling will be posted to the ECFMG website as it becomes available. Individuals planning to take Step 2 CS should monitor the ECFMG and USMLE websites for the latest information.