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ECFMG 2022

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Some key players and acronyms to know first:​

 

  • USMLE = United States Medical Licensing Exam

    • A three-part exam series (Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge, and Step 3) needed to be licensed to practice medicine in the United States. A separate entry on the three exams will be uploaded in the next few weeks.

 

  • ECFMG = Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

    • Is an organization that grants foreign applicants with an ECFMG certification upon completion of Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge, and Step 2 Clinical Skills. With an ECFMG certification you are eligible to start medical residency in the USA.

 

  • IMGs = International Medical Graduates

 

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On February 16th, ECFMG announced the pathways relevant for the people applying to the Match 2022.

 

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Why Is This Important?

 

As an IMG you must obtain an ECFMG Certification in order to Match into a US Residency spot. Originally you needed to pass the USMLE Step 1 + Step 2 CK + Step 2 CS. Since the pandemic made Step 2 CS administration impossible ECFMG implemented a  "pathway system” for the 2021 Match.

 

Now that Step 2 Clinical Skills has officially been cancelled, ECFMG had to adjust accordingly.

 

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ECFMG 2022 Certification

 

They announced six pathways: five were already used for the Match 2021 and the sixth one is a new addition based on Step 2 CS getting cancelled.

 

  • Pathway 1: Already Licensed to Practice Medicine in Another Country

  • Pathway 2: Already Passed a Standardized Clinical Skills Exam for Medical Licensure

  • Pathway 3: Medical School Accredited by Agency Recognized by World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)

  • Pathway 4: Medical School Participates in U.S. Federal Student Loan Program or Is Accredited by an Agency that Has Received a Determination of Comparability by the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA)

  • Pathway 5: Medical School Issues Degree Jointly with a U.S. Medical School Accredited by Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).

  • Pathway 6: Evaluation of Clinical Patient Encounters by Licensed Physicians

 

Let’s take a look at Pathway 6, their newest addition.

ECFMG Pathway 6 Screenshot.jpg

To qualify for this pathway you must fill in a form called Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) that will reflect your clinical skills by a licensed physician.

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More information regarding this pathway will be released in due time. Some questions to be answered are: Who are the “licensed physicians” that will evaluate us and fill in the Mini-CEX form? What would be the monetary cost of it? Will it be done virtually or in person?

 

Additionally, they announced that the application process for Pathways 1 through 5 will begin in April 2021 while that of Pathway 6 will open in July 2021.

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Update - April 2021

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ECFMG has now released the application details for Pathways 1 to 5. You can access the relevant link through their Match 2022 page.

 

There is a separate link for Pathway 1, Pathway 2, Pathways 3, 4, and 5, and Pathway 6. Read them carefully in order to determine exactly which one you will be using, as each one has eligibility requirements; for example, if you failed Step 2 CS then you can only apply through Pathway 6.

 

As of April 27th, 2021 ECFMG Pathway applications for Match 2022 1 to 5 are open.

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Pathway 6 is expected to open in July 2021.

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Common aspects for all of those pathways:

  • December 15, 2021: Deadline to submit an ECFMG pathway application is.

  • December 2021: Deadline to take the OET.

  • ECFMG must receive your OET scores by January 15, 2022.

  • Application for any Pathway will cost 900 USD.

  • They all need the OET.

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The OET, the common element

 

Regardless of which Pathway you will be applying to, you are required to pass the Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine as a way to prove English language proficiency.

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The OET is administered across 46 countries. There is an online version of the exam called OET@Home that is currently suspended. On the 4th week of April, they updated their website to say that at the end of May 2021 they will announce when the OET@Home will return.

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It is important to note that in order to create an account with OET (to book your test) you need to upload a profile picture with the requirements specified on their website. Make sure you have this at hand before creating your account.

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