Category: ECFMG Certification

IMGs Show Strong Performance in the 2018 Match

IMG Match Rates are Highest in 25 Years

International medical graduates (IMGs) showed strong performance in the 2018 Main Residency Match®, according to results published today by the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®). The NRMP Match determines where medical school graduates will enter residency (medical specialty) training each year in the United States.

While the overall number of IMGs participating in the Match declined by 211 compared to last year, their success rate in obtaining first-year residency positions was 56.5%, up from 53.3% last year.

Among U.S. citizen IMGs, 2,900 (57.1%) matched to first-year residency positions, an increase of 123 over last year. The number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions has increased in 13 of the last 15 years. For non-U.S. citizens, 3,962 (56.1%) matched, an increase of 148 positions. This is the seventh annual increase in the number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who matched. For both groups, these match rates are the highest since 1993.

Today’s results show 16 consecutive years of growth in the number of first-year residency positions offered through the Match. In the 2018 Match, 30,232 first-year positions were offered, an increase of 1,383 (4.8%) compared to 2017 and a cumulative increase of more than 9,500 positions since 2002.

“The success of IMGs in this year’s Match demonstrates the importance of this talented and qualified pool of applicants for U.S. training programs,” said ECFMG President & CEO William Pinsky, M.D. “The growth in available residency positions, particularly in primary-care specialties like Internal Medicine, represents continued opportunities for IMGs interested in training in the United States.”

About IMGs in U.S. Health Care

IMGs, physicians who received their medical education from medical schools outside the United States and Canada, comprise one-quarter of physicians in training and practice in the United States. IMGs are essential to the U.S. graduate medical education (GME) and health care systems, ensuring that our physician workforce is adequate to care for patients. IMGs frequently specialize in primary care, practice in medically underserved areas, and add much needed diversity to our physician workforce.

ECFMG Joins National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience

ECFMG is pleased to be a part of the Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, a new initiative of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) that includes more than 130 health care organizations around the globe. By joining the collaborative, ECFMG and the other member organizations are making a formal commitment to take actions that improve clinician well-being and reduce clinician burnout.

Every year, ECFMG sponsors more than 10,000 foreign national physicians in J-1 visa status to participate in U.S. clinical training programs. These residents and fellows face a number of challenges, including the stresses of living and working in a foreign country, in addition to the significant demands of their training programs. ECFMG and its Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (EVSP) are refining a number of initiatives to support these physicians and meet their unique needs.

To learn more, read ECFMG’s Commitment to Physician Well-Being and Resilience statement on the NAM website.

Fee Increases for 2018

Effective January 1, 2018, fees for the following ECFMG applications/service requests will increase:

  • The examination fees for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) will be $910 for each exam registration.
  • The examination fee for Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) will be $1,565 for each exam registration.
  • The fee for rescheduling a Step 2 CS testing appointment will be 0-$1,285 (depending on date of cancellation).
  • The fee for a Certification Verification Service (CVS) request will be $45.

The new fees will be assessed for all applications/requests submitted to ECFMG on or after January 1, 2018 (Eastern Time in the United States).

For more information on the fees associated with applying for ECFMG Certification and for USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS, refer to the ECFMG 2018 Information Booklet and the Fees page of the ECFMG website.

Updated Information on September 2017 Presidential Proclamation for USMLE Step 2 CS Examinees

Updated information on enforcement of President Trump’s September 2017 Presidential Proclamation, “Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or other Public-Safety Threats,” including enforcement of visa restrictions, is available on the Resources on Presidential Proclamation page.

Examinees are encouraged to monitor the Resources on Presidential Proclamation web page. New information, as it becomes available, will be posted there.

Information on Presidential Proclamation for USMLE Step 2 CS Examinees

On September 24, 2017, President Trump issued a proclamation which modified key components of Executive Order 13780, including the country-specific travel restrictions. Information on the proclamation that may be relevant to United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 2 CS examinees is available on the Resources on Presidential Proclamation page.

Examinees are encouraged to monitor the Resources on Presidential Proclamation web page. New information, as it becomes available, will be posted there.

UPDATE: Presidential Proclamation Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats

On September 24, 2017, President Trump signed a proclamation that limits the entry of certain foreign nationals to the United States. This new proclamation effectively replaces Executive Order 13780, which expired on that same day.

At this time, ECFMG is reviewing the proclamation in consultation with immigration counsel and other organizations in the U.S. medical education community. As we determine what impacts the proclamation might have on international medical students and graduates, we will communicate directly with individuals that we believe may be affected. We also will provide updates to officials of U.S. graduate medical education programs.

Additional information is available on the Resources on Presidential Proclamation web page. Updates will be posted to this web page as they become available.

[posted September 26, 2017; updated October 5, 2017]

Important Information for Students Considering Transferring from Medical Schools Impacted by Hurricane Irma

ECFMG would like to express our continued concern for everyone impacted by Hurricane Irma and its aftermath and voice our support for those involved in ongoing relief efforts.

We understand that some medical students enrolled in Caribbean medical schools experiencing a disruption of services as a result of Hurricane Irma are considering transferring to other medical schools. Before considering a transfer to another medical school, students interested in pursuing ECFMG Certification are strongly advised to ensure they would still meet ECFMG’s requirements for certification, including the medical school requirements, transfer credit requirements, and medical education credentials requirements. If you are a medical student impacted by Hurricane Irma and have any questions, ECFMG staff is ready to assist you. We encourage you to contact ECFMG’s Applicant Information Services by phone at +1 (215) 386-5900 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States, Monday through Friday), or by e-mail at info@ecfmg.org.

ECFMG’s 2018 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and Application Materials Now Available

ECFMG’s 2018 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and the 2018 exam application materials are now available on the ECFMG website.

For Step 1/Step 2 CK, you can use the 2018 materials to apply for:

  • available Step 1/Step 2 CK eligibility periods ending in 2017 (September 2017-November 2017 and October 2017-December 2017) and
  • all Step 1/Step 2 CK eligibility periods ending in 2018, beginning with the November 2017-January 2018 eligibility period.

For Step 2 CS, you can use the 2018 materials to obtain a 12-month eligibility period that begins on the date that the processing of your application is completed.

Please monitor the ECFMG website, and follow ECFMG on Facebook and Twitter, for updates and important information.

(posted August 10, 2017, updated September 8, 2017)

Follow ECFMG on Twitter @ECFMG_IMG

ECFMG is excited to announce the launch of its latest social media platform, a new Twitter account at https://twitter.com/ECFMG_IMG. If you are an international medical student or graduate (IMG) interested in ECFMG Certification and graduate medical education (GME) in the United States, please follow us @ECFMG_IMG to learn more about ECFMG programs, the residency application process, important deadlines, resources from ECFMG and other organizations, and much more.

IMGs comprise approxi­mately 25% of physicians in training in the United States. ECFMG is pleased to offer Twitter to the many talented medical students and graduates who pursue ECFMG Certification and U.S. GME. We hope that you find it helpful.

IMG Performance in the 2017 Match

For the 15th 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 28,849 first-year positions were offered in the 2017 Match. This represents an increase of 989 positions compared to last year and an increase of more than 8,200 positions since 2002.

Compared to 2016, the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) who participated in the Match decreased by 435. While the number of IMGs who matched to first-year positions decreased by 47, the percentage of IMGs who matched increased. Of the 12,355 IMGs who participated in the 2017 Match, 6,591 (53.3%) matched. In the 2016 Match, 6,638 (51.9%) IMGs were matched to first-year positions. (The preceding data include a very small number of Fifth Pathway applicants who participated in the 2016 and 2017 Matches. For 2017, these data include two Fifth Pathway participants who are not represented in the data below.)

Of the 7,284 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,814 (52.4%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions increased in 2017 for the sixth year in a row, this year by 45.

Of the 5,069 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 2,777 (54.8%) were matched to first-year positions, a decrease of 92 from last year. The number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions has increased in 12 of the last 14 Matches.

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 Match data are based on the Advance Data Tables: 2017 Main Residency Match® compiled by NRMP. These tables provide detailed information on the positions offered and filled by the Match in 2017 and prior years. To access these tables, or to obtain further information on NRMP, visit www.nrmp.org.

In December of 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.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx.