For additional data related to international medical students and graduates and to ECFMG’s programs and services, see:
New to ECFMG Certification? Click here for more information.
Then you probably have a lot of questions. Here are a few answers to get you started.
ECFMG Certification is the standard for evaluating the qualifications of IMGs entering the U.S. health care system. It is a requirement for IMGs to:
ECFMG defines an international medical graduate (IMG) as a physician who received his/her basic medical degree or qualification from a medical school located outside the United States and Canada. The location of your medical school, not your citizenship, is what determines whether you are an IMG. This means that U.S. citizens who graduated from medical schools outside the United States and Canada are considered IMGs. Non-U.S. citizens who graduated from medical schools in the United States and Canada are not considered IMGs.
The requirements for ECFMG Certification include:
The certification process begins when you request a USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number, which you can do through ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA) by clicking on the link to establish an account.
Want to subscribe to one of ECFMG’s free E-Newsletters?
The ECFMG Reporter provides its nearly 200,000 subscribers with regular e-mail updates on ECFMG Certification, GME in the United States, and other issues important to IMGs.
ECHO News provides ECFMG-certified physicians with updates on new ECHO resources and other news related to planning their careers.
ECFMG Focus provides nearly 4,000 representatives of international medical schools with updates on ECFMG's activities and services for the international medical education community.
FAIMER’s Data Resources on International Medical Education
