Great vid Kevin! Just thought I’d add something. I’m a current med student at a uni in London and we just got an update a few days ago that we will still be able to register beyond 2024. The email read “The US Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates has just announced it has changed its position regarding UK medical degrees and will continue to recognise UK primary medical qualifications for doctors who wish to practise in the US beyond 2024” so something to look into further for those UK med students
Currently being someone that wishes to study medicine in the UK in the future, does this mean that my eligibility for residency in the US still applies beyond 2024 or not? Because the video and multiple sources online tell me it won't be possible to study med school in the UK and then go to the US, however, your comment contradicts that. Please could you give more info on your email and what you know? Thanks in advance!
Look into Canada. Our nation needs more doctors and it's a great nation to live in. Sure, our PM is an ass, but most people are nice, and universal health care means no flaming hoops of death dealing with multiple insurance companies to get approval for tests, procedures, or surgery
@@anatoletahintzi8686 yeah for sure, going to post link later today in the comments. My uni sent out the email with a link to the source but it hasn’t brought up a specific article so will need to look through the ECFMG page today to find it. In any case though, the uni certainly did say what I said above. So that’s true, just need to find the link to the source they quoted to post here.
@@harveypraz7962 yeah for sure, going to post link later today in the comments. My uni sent out the email with a link to the source but it hasn’t brought up a specific article so will need to look through the ECFMG page today to find it. In any case though, the uni certainly did say what I said above. So that’s true, just need to find the link to the source they quoted to post here.
Hi, Kevin! Thanks for taking up this topic! It was really important! Could you make more videos explaining the legal roadmaps to doing the residency and working in different parts of the world? Also it would be really cool to make a video about good places for residency for EU students, I study in small EU country, the Baltic states and I would like to do residency abroad and work abroad. I would love to know how could I emigrate and certify, or do residency and which country to.
For ECFMG certification you needs to be graduate, Pass USMLE step 1, step 2CK, OET through pathway 1 to 6. You can't just apply for certificate and get it.
You’re very uninformed. The problem isn’t more medical students, the problem is there isn’t enough residency spots. About 5% of all medical graduates in the US don’t go on to enter residency and the percentage is growing. These are people that have no way to pay off their massive loans that are accruing in interest. Most medical schools create more seats and collect a ton of money on each seat knowing that not everyone will match into residency. Either congress needs to pass laws creating more residency and fellowship positions or stop IMG’s from taking those spots from people that actually went into medical school in the US.
What about ECFMEA and pathway 4? Are the countries in that list no longer recognized as having comparable standards of accrediting their schools as the US?
"ECFMG continues to hold medical school accreditation as vitally important to ensuring the quality of medical education and, ultimately, patient care. ECFMG plans to launch the policy in 2024 in a way that both maintains the importance of medical school accreditation by a recognized agency and acknowledges that global events have disrupted key aspects of the accreditation and recognition processes. When the policy is initially implemented in 2024, it will not be a requirement for ECFMG Certification." Quoted from official website. So we should be safe for now
I believe you have to take step1, step2ck and OET to be ECFMG certificated. Once ECFMG mails you the physical certification, you are eligible to apply for residency program.
No you can register for about 160$ in ecfmg and at least enroll in this year to an usmle step1 exam in the near future so you dont need your collage degree after 2024
@@SuperGoody2012 this not true you will not be able to apply for any program because NRAS will flag your app and no residency will touch you. There is no loop hole or grandfathering if your school is not ecfmg certified you can’t sit for step one or step 2 nor 3 after 2024. Even if you did finish your residency program you can’t sit for step 3 with the changes anyhow. Till your program does become ecfmg certified. In essence if your program is dead in the water with ecfmg certification pack your bags you can’t finish your residency and you will be kicked out of your program.
So, I'm extremely confused after watching this video. I'm an US IMG. I'm done with step 1 and will take step 2 end of 2023. I think by 2024 my med school would no longer remain accredited. MY QUESTION IS- WILL I BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR RESIDENCY IN 2024-2025 IS MY SCHOOL LOOSES THE ACCREDITATION??????
After 2024 you if your school is in process or is not accredited you will no longer be able to sit for any of the steps. If your government or school has no intention of properly accrediting don’t waste your money.
noo this is so sad for me I wanted to apply to medical school in the uk and then do residency in either Canada or the US 😭 do you think they will still change the rules
Hi. If there are in IMGs from Ecuador watching this video, please know that our country is not getting recognition by the ECFMG, and medical graduates will not be able to apply for ECFMG certification in 2024. Please share this information, so medical schools can do something!😱
Hola soy de ecuador. Que podemos hacer nosotros? Esta problematico. Yo pensaba que se necesitaba pasar los steps para obtener el certificado. Pero el video lo dice de otra forma.
First of all, thanks for your video. But now to my question: I apply in 2022, do step 1 and 2 in 2023 and apply for the match in 2023/24. Will i be able to apply for residency in 23/24 or will they neglect my application bc my medschool is not recognized by wfme. I understood it that way that if got certified before 24, i run under old policies thus my med school still being accredited ( by WDOMS not WFME). I read many posts with people saying that i can apply but Program directors would most likely reject me as an applicant? Is this true? After all, as you said, ecfmg provides the PDs with the information about the accreditation status. And if they provide the information under old policies it should say that my med school is still accredited!?!?!? PLS HEEEEELP!!!!
Hello doc I cleared step 1, six years ago. I have one year left for step 2 and OET and then apply to ECFMG, otherwise it will go to waste. However, I am not planning for a residency now but only want to have the chance to apply for fellowships in US later on and don't want my step 1 to be wasted. So I was thinking of getting ecfmg certification through pathway 1 but I am worried that the ECMFG cert will last for 2 years only. Kindly provide insight for this special situation. Even if I require to renew the ECFMG years later from the first certification, what do they ask for?or do we have to appear for the exams again for renewal of cert?
Hi there, thank you for the video. I wanted to confirm one thing. If I graduate from school that was not accredited by recognized body but is in wfme. And I get certified until 2024 .. What happens in 2025 cycle in regards to re certifying with ECFMG .
Very protectionist stance from the GMC in the UK. As a medical student in England, I am just glad that I didn't start medical school in 2024. I hope this does not continue -- something needs to change.
UK trained physicians can move to Canada to practice medicine. Since Canada is part of the Commoneealth, they're likely going to have an easier time getting licensed to practice or get a residency position
Thank you for this information! Could you please shed light on what this would mean for Indian Medical Graduates, and the procedure to be followed? Thank you!
I am FMG who has usmle identification certification and planning to take step 1 after 2024 how guaranteed am I to go through after 2024 since the 2024 changes affect me
Hello Kevin, thanks for your video. I am an IMG from Ecuador and my country has not yet applied for WFME recognition, but I will take USMLE Step 1 in a few months. In order to take Step 1, IMGs are required to apply via ECFMG and obtained an ECFMG number. Is this application what you mean when you talk about applying for ECFMG certification right now? Because as long as I know, only when IMGs complete both USMLE exams, they are able to apply for ECFMG certification.
Yes that's the thing he's probably talking about because for the other certification you need to have taken both steps. I think he's talking about the $180 fee and the notarycam thing g
Being a UK medical student is so incredibly frustrating. The NHS is an absolute mess right now; super understaffed to the point of compromising patient dignity and the standard for care has hit the floor. Junior doctors are massively underpaid and have financial stress on top of the toll it takes just knowing you aren't able to care for the people who need you. All of this and the GMC respond by gatekeeping our ability to go to somewhere we could learn valuable skills much quicker, get onto a residency program that uses up-to-date techniques and learn in the process!
My school is in the World Directory Medical School List. However, the sponsor notes is blank 😞. What does this mean? Can I apply for EFCMG Certification? Note I will graduate in 2027
I’m a 3rd year studying in London. I have received my ECFMG certification a month ago, but I don’t graduate until 2025. Does this mean that I need to wait until my medical school is registered to the wfme to apply for residency?! 😢
Yes what will happened is your certification will be invalided. To make this simple there is no grandfather clause. It’s all or nothing the most you can expect is maybe them to waive the fees to do the certification once your school accreditation is in order. The issue is that this change was announced like in 2016 minus the 2 years of COVID it’s been 6 years and they did this in phases. This the last phase the first was the change in grading to step one with that change they announced the accreditation issue.
Obviously, many countries will not be interested in this accreditation: they will want to keep their doctors home. This may trigger lack of IMG/FMG residency applicants that will result in physician shortage in the US. This, in turn, may push the US to adopt a model used in other countries - recognizing residency training in some selected countries. It's done, for example, in Canada where residency training done in the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and some other countries is accepted as equal to Canadian training.
nice, make it harder, It's not like US doctors are leaving medicine in ridiculous numbers, they're already choosing high paying specialties, leaving the lower ones to IMGs.
I have a question, so the accrediting agency in my country is accredited by the WFME, however, my university is not accredited by the local accrediting agency. But my university is recognised in the WDOMS, does that mean if I get my ECFMG certification now I wont be affected by the new changes after 2024?
You need only the ecfmg certification of verification before 2024, which is only ecfmg registration and notary cam verification. You don´t need to pass the usmle exams before 2024. Ecfmg clearly state that if you do you ecmfg certification of verification you can continue with with usmle exams even after 2024.
@@b89976 but after we receive our certification after taking the step 1 & 2 exams, we need to again apply for step 3, after a while. How would we do that? Since it also has the same med school eligibility requirements? Wouldnt that cause us to get stuck with no way out? If we dont take the step 3 in the next 7 years of our certification then our previous scores go to waste..
Iam a retd prfessor of orthopaedics from one of premier govt medical Institute which was rated no.2 on all India rating that Bangalore Medical college.India where I did my UGPG.worked and trained ug sand PGs,.since more than 32 yrs.will I get A teaching post in any one of medical institutions.please inform.thank u.
I am in a wierd position. I am not a US citizen but was able to complete undergrad and will complete an MD degree in the US next year. I am in the current residency application cycle and only applied to programs that sponsor H1B (because J1 visa has to go through ECFMG and I am not considered FMG or IMG). Among all the programs in EM, only around 30 sponsor H1B which is significantly less than the number of programs sponsoring J1. A lot of great programs (especially county programs like harbor UCLA, Highland, etc) are out of reach because of that. There are usually only around 100 international students matriculating into US medical schools each year, so no one talks about this specific situation and barrier.
You did not hear it from me, but did you consider getting married with both a pre-nup and post-nup that both include vesting options to obtain green card status. Up to you on this one and easier said than done.
I'm confused! Now the only way to get Ecfmg certificate is by taking step1,step2 and oet and get pathway approval. So how come if someone is in first year medical school can actually get the certificate before taking the steps? kindly clarify.
As a nonUS student that doesn't get the ECFMG certification before 2024 and his school won'tbe identified after 2024. Is there a way to get accepted after 2024? Like if i persue medical research and make strong CV, will this allow me to get the certification?
No and no and no there is no pathway available to you because you can’t even sit for the step the best choice is to try to make sure your government or school follows procedures to get properly accredited. If they can’t or will not move to a school that does. Even being a fully fledged doc you need to be able to sit for the step one even pathway one requires you to have passed and taken step one and two
It is required for every doctor to write the USMLE if they want to practice in the US. This is a rule irrespective of if you are a US trained doctor, IMG, FMG and irrespective of if you completed a residency and fellowship training elsewhere. If you want to practice medicine in the US, writing and passing the USMLE is compulsory and that means there is almost no way of escaping it except of course you want to venture into alternative careers. I believe this is the norm but you could research more on this for more information and confirmation.
Nope. Actually being a medical student should help you get a visa under the new prioritisation visa programme. It’s just that it’s is harder for medical student studying in the UK to then practice in the US. Hope this helps. Good luck!
@@ashwinstewart6939 Thank you but one last question, if I did the residency in UK and decided to work lets say for example middle east like Saudi arabia or Qatar and as long as the GMC is not accriditated is it going to be an obstacle if I considered working there? Put in mind these countries residency programs and medical schools are similar to the US
i have a question i study in a medical university which is now accredit so now i can apply to ECMFG and obtian id numebr but I will be graudate in 2026. lets say that mt university did not apply.> could I be able to take exams like step one ,2 and CK,
Something important left out is that you can only get ECFMG certification once you've graduated med school. Hence, I'm wondering if your med school is recognised when you apply for ECFMG certification, and you pass your USMLEs before 2024, what happens if you graduate in 2024 (when your med school is no longer recognised)?
As long as you are ECFMG certified before January 2024 you are 100% able to still sit USMLEs and apply for US residency. Does not matter if you have not graduated yet, as long as you sit all the USMLEs within 7 years from certification.
False, please check out pathway 3, 4, and 5. You only have to be a student and have graduated on or after 2022. Eligibility Requirements Requirements for all applicants to Pathways 3, 4, and 5: Date of medical school graduation must be on or after January 1, 2022. An authorized official of your medical school must attest to the applicant’s clinical skills. Applicant has not failed the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) one or more times. Applicants who failed Step 2 CS one or more times must apply to Pathway 6 in order to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification. For information on applying to Pathway 6, see the Pathway 6 page. Pathway-specific medical school requirements: Pathway 3. Applicant’s medical school is currently accredited by an agency recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). Pathway 4. Applicant’s medical school is currently accredited by an agency that has received a determination of comparability by the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA). Pathway 5. Applicant’s medical school grants an MD degree issued jointly with a U.S. medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
no doubt the hospital lobby has some role in this. Their plan is to reduce number of physicians and continue to expand the role of allied health providers.
I don’t think so because they want to be able to hire FMGs who will accept lower pay and worse conditions than USMDs. Also in general the more qualified applicants there are for a job, the lower the salary will be
@@MustangGT4 Except that doesn't make any sense. For residency, the salaries are fixed so all FMG will be walking into are residency conditions worse than USMDs. Once you complete a residency in the US, the bargaining power of an FMG and USMD applying to physician jobs is literally the same. Doubtful they are paying FMGs less for attending jobs.
@@0doublezero0to give the benefit of the doubt, they could be talking about the fact that most FMGs choose residency programs not preferred by USMDs (like internal medicine or radiology, for example)
@@AlbornozVEVO It doesn't change the amount of salary you get in residency. This is influenced by the ACGME. It only changes the quality of the program the FMG can match into. However, there is still expansion going on of MD and DO schools. So if anything, your squeezing the FMGs out of the market because residency is the limiting factor to become a physician. Being an FMG doesn't really change the equation if residency is the bottleneck to getting a job. However, if you want to flood the market and drive salaries lower, you need to over-expand residency spots. Then this would make the above poster's point more valid.
As an FMG, can you still practice medicine in countries like the UK or Australia even if your country's accredited agencies are not approved or haven't applied for accreditation with the WFME?
I’m an ECFMG certified FMG from Mexico. There’s something that’s not very clear in your video. My understanding is that you cannot be certified by the ECFMG UNLESS you have taken USMLE Step1, Step2CK and OET (English proficiency exam that replaced Step2CS). On the UK student example, you make it sound as if you can be certified by the ECFMG BEFORE taking the USMLE’s, which is not true, unless the UK is an exemption to this rule. What is true is that you have to START your registration to the ECFMG before taking an USMLE Step exams, but you can only be certified once you’ve taken all the exams mentioned above. I wonder if what you meant was that you can REGISTER now to the ECFMG and then be “grandfathered” in?? Because FMGs won’t be certified until the complete their STEP exams and OET, giving them even less time to be “grandfathered” in by 2024.
@@Dr.HusseinAliMRCSed from what I’ve seen online -not from official websites!- if you start your registration process before 2024 you can take your USMLE exams after 2024 and still apply with the current rule, not the new one; i would like to be absolutely certain of this though
Hi I just started my ECFMG registration process and I’m just hearing of this If the registration process is not complete by the end of 2023 will the new changes affect me?
Do Step1 and Step2 exams have an expiring date? Can I apply for ECFMG Certification even if 7 years have passed after my 1st exam? You stated on your video we should take both within a 7 year period
Contradictory move by the UK. They should loosen up their foreign medical graduate policies themselves. I would have gladly trained in the UK but the process was way more complicated and lengthily. Hence, I came to the US.
Hey everyone. Just to be sure I understand, French med student here. As you know we have high standards medical education here, but we don’t seem to be on the list of accredited countries. Does it mean I will never be able to do either residency or work as a specialist in the US ? That’s annoying 😢
Si hay médicos de Ecuador viendo este video, sepan que el Ecuador no está haciendo el proceso de reconocimiento y en el 2024 los graduados de todas las universidades del país no podrán aplicar a la residencia en USA. Por favor, compartan la noticia. Esto depende del CACES y no de las universidades.
Hola, soy de Ecuador tambien, es decir que si yo me gradué este año y lleno la forma para empezar el proceso de aplicación podría dar los exámenes así sea en 2025? Porque lo que entiendo es que no se necesita estar certificado para el 2024 sino sólo haber llenado la aplicación antes de ese año
@@lidiaespinales1651 Si podrías dar los exámenes después, pero el problema radica en que cuando apliques a la residencia cuando hayas terminado tus steps, tu universidad va a salir como que no está reconocida por la WFME, y eso lamentablemente puede hacer mas difícil que te seleccionen porque los directores de programa preferirán médicos graduados de universidades reconocidas por el ECFMG y la WFME. Por eso, lo mejor es que todos difundamos esta noticia para que el CACES tome acción. No podemos saber cómo esto nos va a afectar en el futuro, pero se puede empezar con el trámite ahora. Por fa difunde esta noticia en tu universidad.
@@lidiaespinales1651 Te recomiendo leer la noticia que salió en el diario digital Edición Médica, donde explican más acerca de este problema que afecta al Ecuador. Debemos hacer que esta noticia llegue al CACES para que ellos tomen acción. Si conoces más médicos aplicando, por favor difunde la noticia.
Is there a time-limit between registering for ECFMG certification and taking the USMLE exams? For example, applying for ECFMG certification in 2023 and don't take either USMLE step 1 nor step 2 until 2025.
Hi Kevin! My medical school being new, from which I’m in the first graduating class ever, is likely to be eligible for ECFMG certification only after 2024, and by then the new accreditation guidelines will come into play. Which is why I can’t apply for ECFMG certification and write Step 1 now. What advice do you have? My country’s accreditation status is in progress according to WFME and not confirmed (yet).
Hi Kevin ! All the Medical schools in wdoms are NOT QUALIFIED for ECFMG Certification, only schools with ECFMG SPONSORSHIP NOTES are eligible. This happens to me. If I am missing something please correct me. If not kindly update the video.
I think US should allow IMGs/FMGs after US MD/DOs. For example: March Match should be exclusively to US MD/DOs then, a month later, consider IMGs/FMGs to fill unfilled Residency positions.
@@DrAdityaReddy sorry mate, but that's how it should be. If I were to go to Italy for Residency, I would be considered an IMG and would be low in priority for their selection. Why should it be any different in the US?
@@cfavo8 that's not how it works in Italy, you wouldn't be considered low priority in Italy, the selection for residency is an entry test, It all depends on the score whetever you are an Italian graduate or FMG/IMG
If I register in ECFMG and get an ID now in 2022 , can I pass the USMLE step 1 and 2 and have my licence after 2024 knowing that my med school isn't going to be accredited after 2024 ? Please answer me
The misconception that international doctors fill the gap in poorly served areas is absolutely not right! I am approaching my 80s I ran 25 clinics in rural areas; people who tend to serve there are those who grew up there (NOT internationals)
Sorry sir but your information is not accurate the MEDICAL SCHOOL must have the sponsor note from ECFMG not only being listed on WDOMS will make them eligible to enter the USMLE exams
@@TJ__23 Because they are qualified and worked very hard to get the spot and they fully deserve it? Because your entire health care system will collapse if non of them applied as almost HALF of IM new residents every year are IMGs, not to mention other specialties. So how about you educate yourself and quit being xenophobic?
It is very difficult to become a doctor in US. You have to finish undergrad and one of the toughest entrace exam called mcat. Despite that the admission rate is only 4 percent also huge cost of attending medical school. Meanwhile foreign students goto med school after school with no test and no debt. It’s not fair to American doctors and their hardwork.
However all doctors must take Step 1,2,3 go through residency, fellowships and still take board exams if they want to practice in America. Your argument falls short. No matter where you are from you still have to work hard. In fact some will argue you have to work harder as an IMG/FMG to get into the US medical system.
A doctor works incredibly hard anywhere in the world to become one and who told you getting into medical school is easy outside the USA?. If they can pass all the exams and provide good patient care and services shouldn’t that be considered first? also imgs need to work 10 times harder to be able to practice especially for more competitive specialties so it is well deserved Rest! There is also a physician shortage in the USA..
Honestly this is phenomenal for US doctors, students and patients. Thousands of US medical school graduates go unmatched every year because we simply don’t have enough residency spots. This is a GREAT step in the right direction to help our own citizens, ensure adequate care, and raise wages in the medical field. Im 100% in favor of these changes.
@@harth3432 citizens and non citizens who study abroad in places like the UK are still accepted. But no more medical degrees from places like Zimbabwe, China, Russia, or Brazil. If you are an American citizen and those are the only places you get accepted by then you DO NOT DESERVE to practice medicine in the USA. We have higher standards here for reason…. The same reason anyone who has the means travels to the US for medical care and procedures. If you had a choice between an NYU doctor and one from Chile, I’d bet my life on you choosing the NYU doc 100% of the time.
@@born2drum1 I have classmates from the US, they are here because it’s what they can afford with good medical education. They could graduate without debt even when living here compared to the US My university is the one of the top in my country and getting in was cut-throat, even staying is difficult because of the standards forced on us. Medical school everywhere have standards because they expect these people to treat their loved ones too. No decent school wants incompetent doctors who will be their future doctors. Here, I would argue that the doctor in Chile may have seen more shit than your doctor in NYU and thus have a better clinical eye. Like from where I am from, the doctors see a range of lifestyle diseases along with diseases related to lower standards of living since poverty is still rampant plus a few infectious diseases that are endemic here. I would be more wary of the legitimacy of the school they go to than the country of origin.
@@born2drum1you realise that the USMLE is a standardized exam that everyone (both us and foreign trained doctors) writes. If they pass what’s the problem? 🤡
Problem is I have seen IMGs coming from war zones (literally war zones). What kind of education you can get from such schools other than more time to prepare for USMLE which I remember at our best we get few weeks free study time to prepare for. Good decision, hope there will be no IMGs anymore. US graduates come first!
@@alsayyed1982 lmao, eventually their countries will apply to be registered and they’ll write those exams and work in the US and there’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing wrong with wanting a better life for yourself 🤷🏻♀️
@@alsayyed1982 Based on your name, you /your ancestors also were immigrants. It is the height of hypocrisy to try to restrict immigrant doctors when you yourself benefited from immigration
