People need to get along.... can we all just be friends
Nagar,
I just recently took my step 3 and allpied / received my full license. (so I been through the whole process) To answer your questions, as a FMG, who have graduated from a ortho residency program and want to do an US NON accreditted ortho fellowships for 1-2 yrs and then go back to their country to practice...... the limiting factor is getting the J-1 Visa. It is harder now than pre 9-11, and go to the following link to see the requirements,
http://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/j1fact.html
You need to take step 1 and 2, not step 3, and you don't need to take step 3 and you don't need a full license to do these non accredited fellowships. Now, it would be a different story if your intent is to stay in the US and practice. If you were a american med grad, a new rule just went to effect that you need to take your step 3 within the 1st 2 yrs post grad..... you do not need a full license to be in residency... A limited license is all you need. But when you apply out to fellowships, most of them require that you have a full license from the particular state. Applying for a full license is a pain in the butt, there is many documents needed to be signed and mailed back. You take Step1,2,3 in any state you want, but when you apply for a license, you apply for the particular state that you will be working. Different state have different requirements / documents.
Step 3 can only be taken after you pass step 1 + 2 and also with the permission of your program director at your residency program. Once you get a full license it is for life, you need to renew on your 1st birthday and then every 2 yrs after (each pop is $400) and the full license is $600 + other document fees ~ $800.
What I would suggest, is look up all the ortho fellowships that you are interested in, email the P.D., ask him what you need to do to be a part of the fellowship, because different programs can have different requirements. Also, if they like you (CV, interview, etc), you might be able to get a verbally promised spot.... before you go through all the steps.
As for preparation, All the steps are not easy, I would spend a significant time to parpare. Also you can go to
www.orthogate.com to find some useful info.
Here is the direct quote
J-1 Visas
J-1 visas are designed for exchange visitors, persons interested in the exchange of knowledge and skills in education, arts and sciences. Because of the educational focus of the J-1 visa, many foreign medical graduates obtain these visas for the purpose of entering graduate medical education programs in the United States. The Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is the entity authorized by the US Department of State to sponsor physicians on the J-1 visa to participate in accredited graduate medical education (GME) programs and is responsible for certifying foreign physicians' credentials. All foreign medical graduates who seek US graduate medical education positions must be certified by the ECFMG, which entails passage of Steps 1 and 2 of the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA). The ECFMG issued 5,429 Standard ECFMG Certificates in 2002.
Individuals must also have a contract or official offer letter from an accredited GME program, and a statement from their home country that the country has a need for specialists in the area the individual seeks to receive training.
In 2002, the AAMC, American Medical Association (AMA), American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and other interested organizations reached a consensus about eligibility requirements for non-accredited subspecialty fellowship programs under the J-1 visa program. The two specific concerns were (1) sponsorship of J-1 exchange visitor physicians in clinical training programs not independently accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), but directly associated with ACGME programs, and (2) sponsorship of J-1 physicians in clinical programs whose length exceeds that of the accredited length for the specialty. The ECFMG outlined the new policy in an Oct. 18 letter to the Department of State. Effective July 1, 2003, there would be three pathways for ECFMG J-1 visa sponsorship:
Programs accredited by ACGME;
Programs within a specialty or subspecialty where the appropriate Specialty Board of ABMs offers a certificate; and
Programs within a subspecialty "recognized" by an appropriate Board of ABMs as evidenced by a letter from the CEO of that Board. A number of additional requirements that would apply to this pathway were identified.
ECFMG sponsorship of J-1 physicians in clinical programs whose length exceeds the ACGME-accredited length will be limited to accredited length. However, the guidance notes that ACGME currently has a mechanism in place for specialties and subspecialties to seek an increase in their accredited length.
Currently, there is no set limit or cap on the total number of J-1 exchange visitor visas issued each year; however, J-1 visas do require that foreign physicians receiving graduate medical education return to their home countries following completion of their residency training program for at least two years before they are permitted to apply for reentry into the United States. J-1 visitors are also ineligible to apply for permanent residency.
J-1 visitors may apply for a waiver of the two-year foreign residence requirement under any one of the following circumstances:
The exchange visitor can demonstrate that his or her departure from the United States would cause extreme hardship to his or her United States citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or child;
The exchange visitor believes that he or she will be persecuted upon return to the home country due to race, religion, or political opinion;
The exchange visitor is working on a project for, or of interest to, a US federal government agency, and that agency has determined that the visitor's continued stay in the United States is vital to one of its programs;
The exchange visitor's government must state that it has no objection the waiver and the exchange visitor remaining in the US if he or she chooses to do so. (The law precludes use of this option by medical doctors who acquired J-1 status for the purpose of receiving graduate medical education or training); or
The exchange visitor is foreign medical graduate who has an offer of full-time employment at a health care facility in a designated health care professional shortage area.
Waivers may be obtained through a request made on the exchange visitor's behalf by an Interested Government Agency (IGA). Numerous federal agencies may seek waivers as IGAs, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers the largest J-1 visa waiver program. Under this program, HHS permits institutions and health care facilities to submit requests for physician exchange visitors to perform research and deliver primary health care services (defined as general internal medicine, pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics/gynecology and general psychiatry) in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or Medically Underserved Areas or Populations (MUA/Ps).
Additionally, under the "Conrad 30" program each state may sponsor waivers for up to 30 J-1 visa holders, who completed medical residencies in the US, in return for a promise to practice medicine for three years in a geographic area designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as having a shortage of health care professionals. Physicians who are sponsored for a waiver by either a federal or state agency will be exempt from the H-1B cap should they choose to convert their visa status. Additionally, under a pilot program established in 2004 (PL 108-441), five of the states' thirty requests may be specialists who can practice medicine outside of Health and Human Services designated health shortage areas. The current program is authorized through June 1, 2006.
http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/workforce/work0004.htm
Hope this helps.
You still need big cerebrum to be a carpenter!