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International Medical Graduates

U.S. Training
If you decide to pursue training in the United States, you should know that U.S. students must complete the following education:

Undergraduate:
Grade School (8 years), High School (4 years), College (4 years).
Graduate:
Medical School (4 years).
Postgraduate:
Internship (1 year, also known as Post-Graduate Year 1 or PGY-1).
After this training you can obtain a license to practice.
Specialty training for 3, 4 or more years.
After this training you can sit for the Board examination for each specialty. These are national exams. Being 'Board Certified' is not a requirement for practice, but will enhance your chances of being accepted into a practice panel.
Fellowship:
One or two years of subspecialty training.
Fellowship training is optional.

To provide direct patient care, physicians in the United States are required to complete a three to seven year graduate medical program -- accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) -- in one of the recognized medical specialties.

For information about the ECFMG and US-MLE rules and regulations, visit the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates website at www.ecfmg.org.

To learn how you can sign up for the US-MLE exam, contact the National Board of Medical Examiners at www.usmle.org.

Any non-U.S. citizen wishing to participate in a U.S. graduate medical education program must possess a visa that permits direct patient care. The appropriate visa application should be submitted well in advance of the anticipated date of enrollment. Contact American embassies, consulates, or U.S. district offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to obtain further information.

Licensing and Board Certification
To have patient responsibility in a residency program, you must have a license to practice in the State of that residency program. Licenses are issued on a state-by-state basis, and the requirements may vary somewhat from state to state.

A physician must obtain a license from the medical board of the state where he or she plans to practice after completion of residency training and/or certification. Contact the Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S., Inc. (FSMB) at www.fsmb.org.

To enter a residency program, your foreign training must also be recognized by the national Specialty Board for that specialty. Read the information under each specialty. Their rules may differ from those of the various State Licensing Boards. For information about Board Certification click on the Related Links button on the left-hand side menu to find the web address for the specialty board.