Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

Commonly abbreviated and referred to by its acronym, ECFMG, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, is the agency responsible for making sure graduates of foreign medical schools called international medical graduates or IMG's, meet certain standards.

International medical graduates in the United States

International medical graduates (IMGs) comprise about one-quarter of the U.S. physician workforce.

ECFMG certification required

• Certification by ECFMG is the standard for evaluating the qualifications of these physicians before they enter U.S. graduate medical education (GME), before they provide supervised patient care.
• ECFMG Certification also is a requirement for IMGs to take Step 3 of the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®).
• USMLE step 3 is in turn required in order to obtain an unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States.

Role in USMLE step 2 CS

• ECFMG, in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®), administers the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component of USMLE.
• This clinical skill assessment test called USMLE step 2 CS, is a requirement for IMGs and for graduates of not just the international medical graduates, but also U.S. and Canadian medical schools who wish to be licensed in the United States or Canada.

History

ECFMG, headquartered in the city of Philadelphia, is a non-profit organization established in the year 1956. For a full and detailed history of ECFMG, visit this page

ECFMG's role

• ECFMG plays a crucial role in evaluating the qualifications of international medical graduates

• Physician credentials related to medical education, training, and licensure

• Assessing clinical skills through USMLE step 2 CS

External links

• For more information, visit their website at www.ecfmg.org

External links

• Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
• United States Medical Licensing Examination