FAIMER Sponsorship Opportunity: Present Projects That Work
April 23, 2013
Filed under: General
Filed under: General
ECFMG’s nonprofit foundation, the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®), will sponsor representatives of up to five selected education innovation projects to attend the Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) conference. A new highlight of the 2013 Network conference will feature “Projects That Work” – that is, education innovation projects at health professions institutions that have survived beyond initial implementation and have had a significant positive impact on health, the community, or the school over three or more years. A plenary panel during the conference will provide representatives of a few outstanding examples of such projects with an opportunity to tell their stories so that others can learn from their successes. Projects that exemplify the conference theme of “Rural and Community Based Healthcare” will be of particular interest.
The 2013 Network conference will be held November 16-20 in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Sponsorship includes air travel, hotel accommodation, and conference registration fee. Applications must be submitted to FAIMER by May 15, 2013. To submit a project description and apply for sponsorship, click here.
ECFMG On-line Services Unavailable April 19-21
Due to scheduled maintenance, ECFMG’s on-line services will be unavailable from approximately 6:00 p.m. on April 19, 2013 through approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 21, 2013. ECFMG’s phone services will also be unavailable during this time. All times are calculated using Eastern Time in the United States.
During this maintenance period, you will not be able to access any of ECFMG’s on-line services. For more information on the services that will be unavailable during this maintenance period, visit the On-line Services Overview page.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.
(posted April 10, 2013; updated April 15, 2013)
ECFMG Partners with Other Leading Organizations to Launch Data Commons, LLC
ECFMG and other leading national physician education and assessment organizations announced today their partnership to launch the Data Commons, LLC. The Data Commons, an information-sharing company, is developing a system that could revolutionize the way in which researchers, policy makers, analysts, and other data users access and analyze data on physicians and other health care professionals.
The core of this new system is a secure data hub that will allow multiple organizations to make available selected information from their individual databases. The ability to access data more efficiently, and the ability to combine data sets in new ways, will have a positive impact on research efforts.
ECFMG is pleased to play a fundamental role in this initiative that has the potential to advance scientific knowledge, enhance patient safety, and improve medical quality, all of which are essential to furthering ECFMG’s mission to promote quality health care.
To learn more, read the Data Commons press release and explore the Data Commons website at www.mydatacommons.org.
ECFMG Launches EPIC—A Powerful New Tool for the World’s Physicians and Those Evaluating Their Credentials
Today, ECFMG launched a powerful and innovative tool for the world’s physicians and the entities worldwide responsible for evaluating physician credentials. The Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC℠) enables physicians to build a digital career portfolio of primary-source verified medical credentials and to request those credentials, and reports verifying their authenticity, for any organization, anywhere in the world.
EPIC enables physicians to:
- upload credentials related to their medical education, training, and registration/licensure
- have those credentials primary-source verified by ECFMG
- request to have reports verifying the authenticity of those credentials sent electronically to any organization, anywhere in the world
- maintain a web-based portfolio of credentials that is convenient, secure, and affordable
For the world’s medical regulatory authorities, hospitals, medical schools, and training programs that receive these reports, EPIC is a powerful new tool in fulfilling their missions to serve and protect their constituents. EPIC provides these organizations with:
- the confidence of knowing the authenticity of a physician’s credentials has been verified using ECFMG’s rigorous and internationally respected primary-source verification process
- the security of receiving verifications directly from ECFMG
- the ability to assure constituents and the public that their vetting process is world-class—that they are employing the best practice of primary-source verification
- access to credentials and reports at no cost
For more than 25 years, ECFMG has employed primary-source verification of physician credentials, a process that includes verifying the authenticity of a document directly with the institution that issued it. ECFMG’s expertise in this area has long been available to organizations through its Certification Program and the ECFMG International Credentials Services (EICS). For the first time, EPIC makes this service available to individual physicians.
For more information or to start using EPIC, visit the EPIC website at http://www.ecfmgepic.org.
ECFMG Selected as a Top Workplace by Philly.com
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) has been named one of the 100 Top Workplaces in Philadelphia for 2013 by Philly.com. Organizations included in the list are not just better places to work, they are more likely to be successful than peer organizations.
Recognition as a Top Workplace is determined solely by employee feedback obtained through a survey conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement. WorkplaceDynamics conducts national and regional workplace surveys on the principle that “The most successful companies are the ones that employees believe in.”
Read the press release.
ECFMG On-line Services Unavailable February 1-2
Due to scheduled maintenance, ECFMG’s on-line services will be unavailable from approximately 4:00 p.m. on February 1, 2013 through approximately 2:00 p.m. on February 2, 2013. All times are calculated using Eastern Time in the United States.
During this maintenance period, you will not be able to access any of ECFMG’s on-line services. For more information on the services that will be unavailable during this maintenance period, visit the On-line Services Overview page.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.
ECFMG Developing New Service to Facilitate and Promote International Exchange in Medical Education
ECFMG is collaborating with members of the international medical education community to develop the Global Education in Medicine Exchange (GEMx), an exciting new service to facilitate and promote international exchange in medical education. GEMx will allow medical schools to promote their electives to students around the world, and to establish strong relationships with other schools to provide students with a wide range of high-quality international educational opportunities.
Read the press release.
IWA Unavailable December 31-January 1
Due to required maintenance, ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA) will be unavailable from approximately 11:00 p.m. on December 31, 2012 through approximately 12:15 a.m. on January 1, 2013. All times are calculated using Eastern Time in the United States.
During this maintenance period, you will be unable to perform any IWA transactions, including working on or submitting an Application for ECFMG Certification or USMLE exam application; accessing a USMLE scheduling permit; or requesting an extension of a USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK eligibility period.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.
FAIMER Distance Learning Offers Advanced Degree Programs in Partnership with Keele University
November 30, 2012
Filed under: General
Filed under: General
The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research Distance Learning (FAIMER® DL) program offers health professions educators the opportunity to receive advanced training in all aspects of health professions education, with a special focus on accreditation and assessment. Educators in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health professions can acquire the knowledge and skills to advance health professions education at their institutions to the highest international standards.
Beginning in early 2013, FAIMER will partner with Keele University in the United Kingdom to expand FAIMER DL into a program that grants academic credentials in accordance with international standards. Participants will be able to earn a Certificate, Diploma, or Master’s Degree in Accreditation and Assessment. All courses will be conducted in partnership with Keele University and the Centre for Medical Education in Context (CenMEDIC) in the United Kingdom. Courses will be administered by CenMEDIC and will follow the strict quality assurance guidelines and policies of Keele.
The Certificate and Diploma programs are conducted as fully supported distance learning using downloaded modules, podcasts, library work, and moderated discussion forums. The Master’s Degree also includes a brief residential session and a dissertation.
FAIMER DL empowers health professions educators with the knowledge and skills to take educational standards and practice to a higher level—to develop their own practice, to improve health professions education at their institutions and in their communities, and ultimately to help bring about real and lasting advances in local health care. For more information on FAIMER DL, please visit http://www.faimer.org/distance-learning/index.html.
About FAIMER
FAIMER is a leader in improving world health. By creating educational opportunities, conducting research, and providing data resources, it serves international communities of educators, researchers, regulators, and policy makers—each a potential change agent for better health care. Through worldwide activities, FAIMER combines its own expertise with that of local experts to create meaningful and sustained improvements in the systems that produce health care providers and deliver health care.
FAIMER is a non-profit foundation of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®). For more information, visit the FAIMER website at www.faimer.org.
ECFMG On-line Services Will Remain Available November 2-3
We previously reported that ECFMG’s on-line services would be unavailable during a maintenance period scheduled for November 2-3. This scheduled maintenance has been postponed due to inclement weather, and ECFMG’s on-line services will remain available. Information on the rescheduled maintenance period will be posted to the ECFMG website as soon as it becomes available.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.