News

Steven D. Kirkpatrick Selected as Next ECFMG/FAIMER Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) and its Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) announced today that Steven D. Kirkpatrick, CPA, has been selected as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Mr. Kirkpatrick will join ECFMG/FAIMER on September 30, 2019, succeeding Dennis M. Donohue, CPA, MBA, MS. Mr. Kirkpatrick will serve as a member of the ECFMG/FAIMER Executive Leadership Team.

“Steve has an extraordinary talent for balancing strategic expansion with continued smooth operation of existing services in the health care space,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, ECFMG President & CEO and FAIMER Board Chair. “He is an invaluable addition to our Executive Leadership Team as we seek continued development of our services to promote quality medical education and health care around the world.”

Mr. Kirkpatrick’s extensive experience includes strategic development, operations, and financial management of hospital systems, physician networks, and life care. Before joining ECFMG/FAIMER, Mr. Kirkpatrick was Director of Finance for the Main Line HealthCare Physician Network, a multi-specialty network of 400 physicians and more than 100 Advanced Practitioners serving suburban Philadelphia. Prior to this, he held a number of executive leadership roles with Fornance Physician Services and the Montgomery Healthcare System supported by Fornance, including Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Fornance, President of Fornance, and Senior Vice President of the Montgomery Healthcare System. As Senior Vice President of Einstein Physicians, Mr. Kirkpatrick led the integration of Fornance Physician Services into the Einstein Healthcare Network. Mr. Kirkpatrick’s experience also includes fourteen years as a Senior Audit Manager for Ernst & Young, where he served health care, non-profit, and other clients. As part of his responsibilities at Ernst & Young, Mr. Kirkpatrick provided strategic financial consultation on debt and equity financing transactions, business combinations, and start-up organizations.

For the past 20 years, Mr. Kirkpatrick has volunteered for Waverly Heights, Ltd., a senior living community serving the Main Line Philadelphia suburbs, where his roles have included Director; Chair of the Audit Committee; and member of the Finance, Risk Management, and Foundation Committees. Since 2006, he has volunteered as a Trustee of The Walden School, an independent, Montessori-based preschool and elementary school in Media, Pennsylvania, where his past roles also include Vice President and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. He also has served on the ECFMG/FAIMER Board of Trustees.

Mr. Kirkpatrick is a Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Medical Group Management Association. Mr. Kirkpatrick earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware.

Step 1 and Step 2 CK – Score Delays in 2020

Most Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores are reported within four weeks of testing. However, because of necessary annual modifications to the test item pools, delays occur for examinees who test at certain times of the year.

The United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) has announced that examinees testing during the following dates may experience delays in score reporting:

  • Step 1 examinees testing early May through early July 2020 – more specific information will be posted January 2020
  • Step 2 CK examinees testing late June through late August 2020 – more specific information will be posted March 2020

Why is this important to know?

If you need to receive a score before a certain date, plan to take that exam before the projected score delay windows to avoid missing deadlines.

Examinees should monitor the USMLE website for more information.

ECFMG’s 2020 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and Application Materials Now Available

ECFMG’s 2020 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and the 2020 exam application materials are now available on the ECFMG website. The ECFMG Information Booklet is the definitive source of information on ECFMG Certification and is required reading for applicants.

For the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 1/Step 2 CK, you can use the 2020 materials to apply for:

  • available USMLE Step 1/Step 2 CK eligibility periods ending in 2019 (September 2019-November 2019 and October 2019-December 2019) and
  • all USMLE Step 1/Step 2 CK eligibility periods ending in 2020, beginning with the November 2019-January 2020 eligibility period.

For USMLE Step 2 CS, you can use the 2020 materials to obtain a 12-month eligibility period that begins on the date that the processing of your application is completed. You will be notified once ECFMG has processed your application.

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

(posted August 8, updated August 28)

AAMC Publishes Tools to Support U.S. Residency Program Research and Application Strategy

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has published resources to support residency applicants in making strategic decisions regarding specialty and residency program selection.

AAMC’s Apply Smart: Data to Consider When Applying to Residency includes information on specialty entrance rates based on applicant type and USMLE Step 1 score. This data may help applicants better assess their competitiveness in each specialty, but do keep in mind that an applicant’s chance of securing a residency position also depends on other factors.

AAMC has also worked collaboratively with nine other organizations, including ECFMG, to develop Residency Explorer, a tool which allows applicants to research residency programs across 11 specialties and compare their characteristics to those who previously matched to those programs. Please note that Residency Explorer does not advise applicants on where they should apply or to which programs they may match. However, it may help you identify programs worth researching further.

Try Residency Explorer

Information on 2023 Accreditation Requirement for ECFMG Certification Now Available in 11 Languages

An overview of the 2023 Medical School Accreditation Requirement for ECFMG Certification is now available in 11 languages! To access a convenient PDF of the overview in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish, visit the Resources page of the 2023 Medical School Accreditation Requirement section of our website.

For all of the latest details on the upcoming requirement, remember to visit www.ecfmg.org/accreditation, and check back periodically. Updates will be posted to this section as they become available.

ECFMG’s IWA Unavailable August 26-27

Due to required maintenance, ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA) will be unavailable for up to 24 hours, beginning at approximately 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States, on August 26, 2019.

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.

Incomplete USMLE Exam Applications in IWA Will Be Deleted on August 26

As part of the transition to the ECFMG 2020 Information Booklet and exam application materials, any United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) applications that have been saved but not submitted via ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA) will be deleted. If you have a saved exam application in IWA, you must complete and submit the application, including payment, by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States, on Monday, August 26, 2019. If you have begun but not yet submitted the on-line part of an exam application when IWA becomes unavailable on August 26, your incomplete application will be deleted. If your application is deleted, you will be required to begin a new application in order to apply for examination.

Call for Nominations to ECFMG/FAIMER Board of Trustees

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) (www.ecfmg.org) and its Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) (www.faimer.org) are seeking nominees to serve on their combined Board of Trustees. We invite your participation in this important process.

Commitment to Diversity                        

ECFMG and FAIMER are privileged to have a dedicated, volunteer board of up to 21 members with backgrounds in international and domestic medical education, hospital leadership, law, accounting, philanthropy, education, accreditation, business leadership, community health, and other fields.

ECFMG and FAIMER are committed to board diversity including, but not limited to, gender, race, ethnicity, age, and professional background.

Board Member Responsibilities

  • Board members accept programmatic and fiduciary responsibility for ECFMG and FAIMER.
  • Members are expected to prepare for and engage in three in-person board meetings per year, as well as virtual committee meetings for the committees on which they serve.
  • Board members support the philanthropic efforts of FAIMER and make an annual gift to the organization (of any amount).
  • Board members are expected to review and abide by the Bylaws of ECFMG and FAIMER and the Board Operational Policies and Procedures.
  • Board members are required to report all conflicts of interest.

Board Member Criteria

The Governance Committee will use these criteria as part of their assessment of candidates. A successful candidate need not satisfy each criterion.

  • Demonstrated capacity for organizational decision making with voluntary public service activities.
  • Maintain the highest professional and personal ethics.
  • Be a highly motivated individual who is committed to the furtherance of ECFMG’s and FAIMER’s missions.
  • Possess a sense of accountability to ECFMG and FAIMER.
  • Have good people skills and interact well with others.
  • Be capable of being a spokesperson on behalf of ECFMG and/or FAIMER.
  • Possess the interest, commitment, and time to devote to Board of Trustees meetings, committee assignments, appeal hearings, fundraising events, and other work of the Board.

Nominations

To recommend an individual for consideration as an ECFMG/FAIMER Trustee or to self-nominate:

  • Submit a current CV or resume, a brief statement of the individual’s qualifications for the role, and a description of your relationship to the nominee. Self-nominees should provide a brief statement of their qualifications with their CV or resume.
  • Materials should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than September 20, 2019, via e-mail to Maureen Sabo, Secretary of the Board, msabo@ecfmg.org.
  • New Board members will be elected in early December 2019. Members are elected to an initial term of four years and are eligible for reelection to a final four-year term.