Home › Posts tagged Ecfmg
Blog Archives

If You’re an IMG, Make Sure to Review this Page

Posted on by by

If you’re an international medical graduate (IMG) applying for residency this year, I’d recommend you take a look at the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® (ECFMG) ERAS Support for Residency main page. There, you can find eligibility requirements, an overview of the IMG application process, a timeline, and details regarding which documents ECFMG ERAS Support Services will upload for candidates and what your obligation is regarding those documents.

There’s also technical guidance for your letter of recommendation writers, so you can direct them to online instructions through the Support for Residency main page.

Tags: , , ,

How the New ERAS Schedule Might Relieve Your Stress

Posted on by by

This year, in light of the COVID crisis, while ERAS will open on September 1, residency programs will not have access to applications until October 21, which is more than a month later than last year’s date of September 15. At first glance, this alteration might seem minor: After all, if programs download applications in batches by chronological order, an applicant would still be better off submitting on September 1. However, all applications submitted September 1 through October 21 will appear to programs as being submitted on October 21. This affords residency applicants more time to get their applications in order. 

Having said that, ECFMG is still recommending that applicants submit by October 14 to be on the safe side, and I’d also suggest not waiting until the last minute. Good writing takes a long time, and you do not want to be behind the eight ball, submitting suboptimal written materials. 

For help with your residency written materials, contact me. 

Tags: , , ,

International Medical Graduate (IMG) 2016 Match Statistics Are Out

Posted on by by

The ECFMG® recently published 2016 Match statistics for International Medical Graduates (IMGs). In the 2016 Match, only 53.9% of U.S. citizen IMG participants were matched to first-year positions, and of those IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, only 50.5% obtained first-year positions. While the actual number of IMGs matching was slightly better than last year (with more residency positions on the whole available), IMGs still face large challenges in the residency application process.

Tags: , ,

IMGs (and Others) Participating in the 2016 Match: Sign up for Step 2 CS Immediately

Posted on by by

Here’s an important reminder from the ECFMG® News page:

To participate in the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match®, international medical students/graduates must have passed all exams required for ECFMG Certification. If you plan to participate in the 2016 Match (in March 2016) and still need to pass Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), you should register now to take the examination.

To help ensure that your result will be available in time to participate in the 2016 Match, you must take Step 2 CS by December 31, 2015. If you do not register now and schedule soon, it is possible that you will not be able to obtain a test date in 2015. At the time of this writing, the earliest available test date at any test center is in October 2015.

The USMLE program also has issued a Scheduling Reminder for Step 2 CS, strongly encouraging medical students/graduates to schedule their exams early to obtain a testing appointment this year.

If you register and schedule now, you can change your scheduled testing appointment (subject to availability) at no cost, provided you give notice of more than 14 days.

Detailed information on the results reporting schedule for Step 2 CS is available on the ECFMG website.

– See more at: http://www.ecfmg.org/news/2015/05/29/reminder-imgs-participating-in-2016-match-should-apply-for-step-2-cs-now/#sthash.DZFNaVTV.dpuf

Tags: , ,

International Medical Graduate Performance in the 2014 Match

Posted on by by

Many of you already know that the ECFMG® (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) is a certifying, advocate organization for International Medical Graduates. Each year, the ECFMG publishes data on International Medical Graduate performance in the Match.

ECFMG posted their results recently: In 2014 53.0% of U.S. citizen IMGs obtained first year positions through the Match. Of those IMGs who were not U.S. citizens, 49.5 % matched (Source: ECFMG®).

Considering this reality, it’s important for current IMGs to approach the application process by ensuring they apply broadly to residency programs.

Tags: , ,

About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

Receive FREE Insider Medical Admissions Tips.

Sign Up

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: