Requirements for ECFMG Certification for 2023 Match USMLE

We will talk about these topics under the main heading of " Requirements for ECFMG Certification for 2023 Match"

    Overview
    Who Should Use the Pathways?
    Assessment of Communication Skills, Including English Language Proficiency
    General Eligibility for All Pathways
    The Pathways
    Applying to the Pathways
    Information on Expiration of the ECFMG Certificate
    Impact of Pathways on the Time Limit for Completing Examination Requirements

 Overview

International medical graduates (IMGs) are required to meet a number of requirements before they can be considered for ECFMG Certification. These requirements include passing a medical science examination, demonstrating proficiency in clinical settings, and demonstrating proficiency in oral and written communication. The United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 1 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) are the exams that are now being given to candidates in order to fulfill the prerequisite for a medical science examination.

Eligible IMGs may make use of the Pathways in order to fulfill the requirements for clinical and communication skills necessary for ECFMG Certification. The Pathways make it possible for qualified IMGs to continue their pursuit of ECFMG Certification and to compete for positions in graduate medical education (GME) programs in the United States. At the same time, they provide the public and U.S. GME programs with the assurance that IMGs are prepared to begin supervised training.


Who Ought to Walk Along the Pathways?

The International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who need to meet the clinical skills requirement and the communication skills requirement for ECFMG Certification and who plan to participate in the 2023 National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match® (The Match®) in March 2023 are the target audience for the Pathways for ECFMG Certification for the 2023 Match (2023 Pathways). These Pathways are designed specifically for IMGs.

You are required to apply to one of the 2023 Pathways if you are an IMG who needs to complete the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification and you intend to participate in the 2023 Match. This condition, along with the other eligibility requirements for the Pathways, will not allow for any kind of waivers or exemptions of any kind. For an overview of how to apply, see the section below under "Applying to the Pathways."

Important Reminder: In order to be eligible for ECFMG Certification through a Pathway, you must, in addition to demonstrating that you have the necessary clinical and communication skills,

To be eligible to participate in the 2023 Match, you must first have passed Step 1 and Step 2 CK, and you must also satisfy all of the other requirements for ECFMG Certification to earn your certification from ECFMG.

Important Reminder: If you already possess the clinical and communication skills required for ECFMG Certification, you do not need to pursue a Pathway to meet the requirements for ECFMG Certification or for participation in the 2023 Match, nor are you eligible to do so. However, if you do not already possess these skills, you must do so in order to be eligible. Among those who have already proven that they possess the necessary clinical and communication skills for ECFMG Certification are the following individuals:

IMGs who have a passing performance on USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) that is valid for ECFMG Certification (even if they previously failed Step 2 CS), IMGs who are certified by ECFMG, and IMGs who have an approved application to the 2021 or 2022 Pathways are all eligible to take the USMLE Step 3 Clinical Knowledge exam.

If you submitted an application to a Pathway for the 2021 or 2022 Match or made yourself familiar with the requirements for the 2021 or 2022 Pathways, you should carefully review the information regarding the 2023 Pathways to ensure that you have a complete understanding of the eligibility requirements and the 2023 Pathways. In addition to that, you need to look over the Important Information for Applicants to the Pathways Program in 2021 and 2022.

Evaluation of Communication Abilities, Including Proficient Use of the English Language

A candidate must earn a passing score on the Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine in order to fulfill the communication skills need for ECFMG Certification. This requirement is part of the Pathways program and must be completed in order to be eligible. In addition to satisfying the requirements of a particular Pathway, all applicants for Pathways are required to fulfill this requirement. This requirement applies to applicants regardless of citizenship or native language.

For further information, please refer to the page entitled "Evaluation of Communication Skills, Including Proficiency in the English Language."

An important thing to keep in mind is that achieving a score that is considered to be satisfactory on the OET Medicine test is simply one of the conditions for finishing a Pathway. In addition to that, applicants are required to submit an online application for the relevant Pathway. See the section below titled "Applying to the Pathways."


Eligibility Requirements Standardized Across All Routes

Applicants who meet the following criteria are among those who are qualified to pursue ECFMG Certification based on one of the Pathways:

Have not already proven that they possess the necessary clinical and communication abilities to earn their ECFMG certification. ((If you have a passing performance on Step 2 CS that is valid for ECFMG Certification, or if you have a previously approved Pathways application, you have already met the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification, and you are not currently eligible to pursue a Pathway.)) If you have a previously approved Pathways application, you have already met the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification.
are not prevented from pursuing certification by ECFMG in any way.
have handed in a completed Application for ECFMG Certification.
Have an existing registration for one of the USMLE Step or Step Component exams. This means that before you may submit an application for the Pathways program, if you have never been registered to take a USMLE Step or Step Component, you must first apply for and be registered for a USMLE test in order to be eligible to submit an application for the Pathways program.


The Routes Taken

Applicants for Pathways are required to meet all of the requirements for the specific Pathway to which they are applying, in addition to those requirements outlined in the section titled "General Eligibility for All Pathways."

Important Reminder: Regardless of whether or not applicants complete the eligibility requirements for other Pathways, if they have failed Step 2 CS one or more times, they are required to apply to Pathway 6 in order to satisfy the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification.

Even if they have already been rejected from Step 2 CS in the past, applicants who have a passing performance on Step 2 CS that is qualified for ECFMG Certification do not have to (and are not eligible to) apply to a Pathway. This is important information to keep in mind.

The first option is for those who have already obtained a license to practice medicine in another nation.

Applicants who are currently or have been in the recent past in possession of a license or registration to practice medicine without supervision are eligible for Pathway 1. Applicants who satisfy the eligibility requirements for Pathway 1 are required to apply for Pathway 1 in order to satisfy the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification, unless they failed Step 2 CS; see Important Note for more information on this topic.

Please refer to the Pathway 1 page for further information, including the dates of eligibility for licensure.

Option 2: Already Have a Passing Score on an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for Medical Licensure Conducted by an Approved Medical School

Applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 1 but who are currently enrolled in or have graduated from a medical school that provides an OSCE that is specifically required for medical licensure by the medical regulatory authority (MRA) in that country are eligible to apply through this Pathway. The applicant must have completed and passed the OSCE, and the medical school must satisfy a set of ECFMG requirements before they can be considered.

Please refer to the Pathway 2 website for additional information, including the acceptable graduation dates and the requirements for medical school.

Medical School Accredited by an Agency Recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (Pathway 3) (WFME)
Pathway 4: A Medical School that Is Accredited by an Agency That Has Received a Determination of Comparability From the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA)
5. Medical School Issues Degree Jointly with an Accredited U.S. Medical School This is the fifth and last option (LCME)

Applicants who do not satisfy the eligibility requirements for Pathway 1 and who are students or recent graduates of a medical school that satisfies the eligibility standards provided by ECFMG for Pathway 3, 4, or 5 are eligible to apply through Pathways 3, 4, and 5, respectively.

For more information, including the graduation dates that are eligible, please see the page that details Pathways 3, 4, and 5.

Evaluation of Clinical Patient Encounters by Licensed Physicians is the Sixth Possible Pathway.

Applicants who do not satisfy the qualifying conditions for Pathways 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 are sent to the Pathway 6 application. ECFMG's Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) for Pathway 6 must be used in order for an applicant's clinical skills to be evaluated by licensed physicians. This is one of the prerequisites for Pathway 6, which must be satisfied.

For further details, please refer to the Pathway 6 page.


submitting one's application to the Routes

Please complete these procedures in order to demonstrate that you possess the necessary clinical and communication abilities required for ECFMG Certification by way of one of the Pathways:

Think about what the best time would be to submit your Pathways application. ECFMG Certificates that have been awarded to candidates who have demonstrated that they have the necessary clinical and communication abilities in order to be eligible for ECFMG Certification through a Pathway may be subject to expiration. For further information, see the section below titled "Information on Expiration of the ECFMG Certificate." If you do not complete your 2023 Pathways application and meet all requirements for your application by the time the current application season ends after the 2023 Match, your application will be rejected and you will be required to reapply to the Pathways in a future application season, and pay the applicable application fees at that time, in order to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification. In addition, if you do not complete your 2023 Pathways application and meet all requirements for your application by the time the current application season
By carefully perusing the information provided on this page, you can ascertain whether or not you are qualified to submit an application for a Pathway.
Complete and submit your Application for Pathways for ECFMG Certification for 2023 Match if you believe that you meet the requirements to apply to a Pathway and believe that you are entitled to do so. To be considered, your application must be sent no later than January 31, 2023.
You can demonstrate that you have the necessary communication skills by achieving a score that is considered to be satisfactory on each of the four subtests that make up the OET Medicine exam: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. You should take the OET Medicine exam as soon as possible, preferably before the final test date in December 2022. If you take the OET after this date, there is a possibility that your scores will not be accessible in time for you to finish your Pathways application before the 2023 Match.
Send your scores from the OET Medicine exam to the ECFMG. Instructions can be found at the following link: Assessment of Communication Skills, Including English Language Proficiency. By the 31st of January in 2023, ECFMG must have received your scores directly from OET. ECFMG will continue to receive and process results after this date; however, results received after January 31, 2023 may not be processed in time for you to participate in the 2023 Match. It is your responsibility to ensure that ECFMG has received all of the required documentation in support of your Pathway application. You may find complete information on the required documentation as well as the deadlines for submitting it by viewing the detailed guidelines for the Pathway to which you are applying. It is up to you to make certain that ECFMG is in possession of all of the necessary papers.
Logging into the Application for Pathways for ECFMG Certification for 2023 Match will allow you to keep track of the current status of your application. When the review of your application is over, you will receive a message informing you of this by e-mail. Note that if you have not completed all of the requirements for your Pathways application by the time the current application season has ended, your application will be rejected and you will be required to reapply and pay any and all required application fee(s) during a future application season in order to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
 Information Regarding the Expired Status of the ECFMG Certificate

ECFMG Certificates that have been granted to candidates who have demonstrated that they meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification through a Pathway will be valid until the end of the year 2024. The ECFMG Certificate will no longer be subject to expiration once the candidate has successfully completed the first year of training in a GME training program in the United States that is certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Please keep an eye on this page for information on how to make your ECFMG Certificate valid for an unlimited amount of time and record that you have completed the first year of training that was accredited by the ACGME.

Your ECFMG Certificate will become invalid on December 31, 2024, if you do not enroll in a residency training program that has been certified by the ACGME. In order to keep your ECFMG Certificate valid in the event that you decide to enroll in a GME program in the not too distant future, you will need to demonstrate that you have the clinical and communication skills required by the ECFMG Certification standards in effect at that time.

This means that if you were certified by ECFMG based on a 2021 or 2022 Pathway and your ECFMG Certificate displays an expiration date in 2021 or 2022, the expiration date on your certificate has been extended through December 31, 2024. For further information, please refer to the page entitled "Important Information for 2021 and 2022 Pathway Applicants."
 How Do Different Pathways Affect the Allowed Amount of Time to Complete the Exam Requirements?

The ECFMG demands that International Medical Graduates (IMGs) meet all of the examination requirements for ECFMG Certification within a period of seven years. This indicates that you will have seven years from the time you pass one exam to pass the remaining exam(s) necessary for ECFMG Certification. This term of seven years starts on the date of the first exam that was passed and continues for exactly seven years after that date.

This seven-year minimum also applies to demonstrating that you have the clinical and communication skills necessary to get ECFMG Certification through one of the available pathways. This indicates that your application for Pathways must be accepted within the seven-year window provided. If your Pathways application is not accepted within the seven-year period and you have a passing score on Step 1 and/or Step 2 CK that becomes invalid for ECFMG Certification as a result, you are required to contact ECFMG in order to determine whether or not your invalid passing performance on Step 1 and/or Step 2 CK meets ECFMG's requirements to be extended. If your Pathways application is not accepted within the seven-year period, your score will become invalid for ECFMG Certification.

Please be aware that it is entirely up to you to monitor how far along you are in the process of satisfying these ECFMG Certification prerequisites. ECFMG will not notify you of upcoming deadlines to meet the seven-year requirement, nor will it notify you if one (or more) of your passing performances becomes invalid for ECFMG Certification because you failed to meet the seven-year requirement. In addition, ECFMG will not notify you if you fail to meet the seven-year requirement and one (or more) of your passing performances becomes invalid.

The information that was presented is accurate as of the 12th of May, 2022; however, it is subject to change. Please ensure that you regularly check the ECFMG website for any modifications pertaining to these standards.