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Residency & Licensure

PREPARATION & APPLICATION FOR RESIDENCY

The application for residency begins approximately one full year prior to graduation, is quite involved and includes numerous forms, strict adherence to deadlines, and certain fees. The traditional residency start date is July 1st and most programs will accept applications at least one year prior to the July 1 start date through that December.

It is important that you obtain all the necessary and required documents and forms for students of foreign medical schools or IMG's. Additionally, if you are a non-US citizen or non-permanent resident, you must obtain a visa for residency. A list of some guides and resources are available at the end of this section.

THE EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION FOR FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES/ECFMG

ECFMG is the agency which (a) validates the medical education of foreign medical students and graduates and (b) authorizes certification.

ECFMG requires that the following items be secured no later than June 30th in order to begin residency on July 1st:

• USMLE passing scores on Step 1, Step 2 CK and CS;
• Diploma from OLFU/COM; 
• ECFMG certification;
• Medical license;
• Eligible to sit for USMLE Step 3.

LICENSURE

Medical school graduates wishing to secure permanent licensure in the US, generally speaking, must complete residency training at either a US ACGME or AOA-affiliated teaching hospital program to secure a state medical license.

Be advised that each state establishes its own set of rules and requirements for medical licensure, as there is no national set of unified requirements. Applications for licensure can be accessed through most state licensing boards websites.

Our Lady of Fatima University College of Medicine has secured medical licensure approval from California and New York.

THE NATIONAL RESIDENCY MATCHING PROGRAM/NRMP and OPTIONS

The first two decisions are the specialty of your choice and NRMP eligibility. NRMP applications are available between July and October for the upcoming residency the following July and with an October application deadline.

NRMP's eligibility requires the following:

• USMLE Step 1 passing scores;
• USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) and CS (Clinical Skills) passing scores by February of the year prior to residency;
• Conferral of medical degree no later than June 30th of the year of residency start date.

If eligible for The Match, then the next step is to apply for residency via the Electronic Residency Application Service, ERAS, which processes the application for many specialty and combined programs.

Separate applications, requirements, deadlines and fees are required of both NRMP and ERAS. Additionally, be advised that the NRMP considers a foreign medical graduate, or an IMG, as an "independent applicant."

The NRMP is the conduit agency that "matches" students and residency programs. Students apply directly to ERAS for a residency position or apply to the program of choice directly. Both applicants and programs submit a Rank Order List (ROL). Additionally, the NRMP's algorithm, based on the ROL's, determines a program-to-student match. Match results are released in March.

Programs will contact applicants whom they wish to interview. If an interview is granted, usually between September to January, it is to your greatest benefit to accept and make arrangements accordingly.

If there is no match or if one is non-match eligible, the other option is to apply to "the scramble", which is the "outside of the match" alternative route. It is imperative to monitor the NRMP's list of "unfilled residency positions", as this list is disseminated to those who participated in the match but did not place.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A MATCH WITH A PROGRAM IS A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT.

Be forewarned that you must take and pass both the USMLE Step 2 CK by the end of December of the current year prior to the February ROL deadline. To be eligible for Step 2 CK, you must have completed the 48 weeks of clerkships, which include medicine and the Pre-Clinical semester. To be eligible for Step 2 CS, you must have completed 36 weeks of core clerkships, which again include medicine.

USMLE

The USMLE consists of four (4) parts with the end result of licensure:

• Step 1: Taken right after the completion of the Basic Sciences, as the passing of Step 1 is the pre-requisite for entry in the Clinical Sciences;
• Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS: Any student who has passed Step 1 is then eligible to sit for Step 2 CK and CS but there are certain conditions that must be fulfilled;
• Step 3: The final step for licensure and can be taken either after graduation, during residency or at the end of residency.

Resources

For further details, please research the following resources:

Publications

AMA, Graduate Medical Education Directory (The Green Book):
The "everything you were afraid to ask but needed to know" book about ACGME-accredited residency programs, important information, statistics, etc. 

AMA, State Medical Licensure Requirements and Statistics.
AMA, (2006)

Iserson, Kenneth, Getting Into A Residency: A Guide for Medical Students, 6th Ed.
Tuczon, Arizona: Galen Press, (2003).
 

Websites

Fellowship & Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA):

American Medical Association:

http://ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2997.html
 

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates:

http://www.ecfmg.org

http://www.ecfmg.org/eras

National Residency Match Program:

http://www.nrmp.org

Association of American Medical Colleges:

http://www.aamc.org

Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S.:

http://www.fsmb.org
 

Other:

http://www.careermd.com

http://studentdoc.com

http://www.studentdoctor.net