III.A.2. Eligibility Requirements – Fellowship Programs
All required clinical education for entry into ACGME-accredited fellowship programs must be completed in an ACGME-accredited residency program, or in an RCPSC-accredited or CFPC- accredited residency program located in Canada. (Core) Prior to appointment in the fellowship, fellows should have completed an ACGME- or RCPSC-accredited internal medicine program. (Core)
III.A.2.a) Fellowship programs must receive verification of each entering fellow’s level of competency in the required field using ACGME or CanMEDS Milestones assessments from the core residency program. (Core)
III.A.2.b) Fellow Eligibility Exception
A Review Committee may grant the following exception to the fellowship eligibility requirements:
An ACGME-accredited fellowship program may accept an exceptionally qualified applicant**, who does not satisfy the eligibility requirements listed in Sections III.A.2. and III.A.2.a), but who does meet all of the following additional qualifications and conditions: (Core)
III.A.2.b).(1) Assessment by the program director and fellowship selection committee of the applicant’s suitability to enter the program, based on prior training and review of the summative evaluations of training in the core specialty; and, (Core)
III.A.2.b).(2) Review and approval of the applicant’s exceptional qualifications by the GMEC or a subcommittee of the GMEC; and, (Core)
III.A.2.b).(3) Satisfactory completion of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Steps 1, 2, and, if the applicant is eligible, 3; and, (Core)
III.A.2.b).(4) For an international graduate, verification of Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification; and, (Core)
III.A.2.b).(5) Applicants accepted by this exception must complete fellowship Milestones evaluation (for the purposes of establishment of baseline performance by the Clinical Cardiovascular Disease 12 Competency Committee), conducted by the receiving fellowship program within six weeks of matriculation. This evaluation may be waived for an applicant who has completed an ACGME International-accredited residency based on the applicant’s Milestones evaluation conducted at the conclusion of the residency program; and, (Core)
III.A.2.b).(5).(a) If the trainee does not meet the expected level of Milestones competency following entry into the fellowship program, the trainee must undergo a period of remediation, overseen by the Clinical Competency Committee and monitored by the GMEC or a subcommittee of the GMEC. This period of remediation must not count toward time in fellowship training. (Core)
III.A.2.b).(6) Fellows from non-ACGME- or RCPSC-accredited internal medicine programs must have completed at least three years of internal medicine education prior to starting the fellowship. (Core)
III.A.2.b).(6).(a) The program director must inform applicants from non-ACGME-accredited programs, prior to appointment and in writing, of the ABIM policies and procedures that will affect their eligibility for ABIM certification. (Detail)
III.A.2.c) The Review Committee for Internal Medicine does allow exceptions to the Eligibility Requirements for Fellowship Programs in Section III.A.2. (Core)
** An exceptionally qualified applicant has (1) completed a non-ACGME-accredited residency program in the core specialty, and (2) demonstrated clinical excellence, in comparison to peers, throughout training. Additional evidence of exceptional qualifications is required, which may include one of the following: (a) participation in additional clinical or research training in the specialty or subspecialty; (b) demonstrated scholarship in the specialty or subspecialty; (c) demonstrated leadership during or after residency training; (d) completion of an ACGME-International accredited residency program.
