> Is it possible to do fellowships in the US without going
> through the US residency program?
Depends on the specialty and the fellowship. In some fields, some fellowships are not particularly competitive. At times, they will accept suitably qualified foreign trained physicians (I knew an endocrinology fellow in IM, a bunch of different fellows in radiology and some fellows in anesthesia who came directly. some did a residency after the fellowship in order to become board certified)
> Do you need ECFMG certification before doing a fellowship?
If you are not a US citizen, you need a valid ECFMG certificate whenever you enter the US 'to work as a physician' (this is part of US immigration law). At times, people get appointed to university faculty positions without having the ECFMG certification, if the university puts its weight behind it they can even get a restricted medical license. Technically, this is a violation of the law, but I don't think the immigration service has ever prosecuted anyone for this.
> Do I need to complete Step 3 at all if I am not intending to
> be board certified in US?
You need step3 for 2 things:
- to obtain an unrestricted medical license (after residency)
- to obtain certain types of visas (if you are not a US citizen)
If you intend to come here for a fellowship only, you might not need step3. However, having it shows your future employer that you have all the formal qualifications a US trained physician would have at the same point.
> do you know if once I get the ECFMG certificate, is it for life?
It used to be that you had to keep it alive by submitting a passing score in the TOEFL every 2 years. Now, you have to repeat step2cs every 3 years if I am not mistaken (the TOEFL was maybe $200, step2cs is 1k, really sucks).
