fellowship

[dhb]

Hi,
My search wasn't succefull so i#m posting my question here:
I'm an IMG i have passed step 1 and 2 but decided not to do my residency in the US. Can I still apply for a fellowship after my residency in Europe?

I digged this up:
ACGME programs may only select applicants who have or will have graduated from a:

· Medical school in the US and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)

· College of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)

· Medical school outside the United States AND completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school

· Medical school outside the United States/Canada, AND WHO HAVE obtained (prior to appointment) EITHER a full, unrestricted Massachusetts medical license OR a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

Is this what you obtain after step 1 and 2 CK CS?

Thanks in advance,
dhb

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[Winged Scapula]

What you have dug up is the requirements for ACGME-accredited residencies. It may or may not apply to fellowships, some of which ACGME has nothing to do with.

The ECFMG certificate is awarded if you have passed USMLE Steps 1, 2 CK and CS, and provided them all the other information required for certification. See http://www.ecfmg.org for further details.

Your question about whether it is possible to do a fellowship in the US is somewhat complicated. I certainly know people who have done it, albeit not recently. ACGME fellowships have to follow the rules of ACGME as well as any other rules they have decided on, which may or may not include things like being Board Eligible in your specialty. Obviously if you have trained outside of the US, you are not Board Eligible. That said, there are some boards which will either give you credit for some time or reciprocal training.

There are also many fellowships which are not ACGME accredited and they make up their own rules. I am only familiar with surgical ones and the requirements of the ACS. You might wish to contact programs in the field you are considering fellowship in and see what their requirements are.

 

[rox]

I know some physicians who did their residency in their own countries and then did a non-accredited fellowship in the states. That is, they don't get to work in the states when they are done but they go home with a certificate that they were trained in some hospital in the states. This counts much in some places.

 

[dhb]

But is it possible for accredited fellowships?

 

[rox]

I have no idea if it's possible or not. Good luck anyways

 

[Meat Cookie]

I'll tell you this: if the readers here don't know the answer, I'll bet most program directors don't know the answer and unless you really stand out as an applicant they would rather pass on your application than take a chance with navigating complicated rules/regulations.

Bottom line: If you want a US fellowship, do a US residency.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Luckily, I'm not "most program directors"

As stated above, the answer does depend somewhat on what field we are talking about. However, all ACGME fellowships are bound by the Insitutional Requirements, which state:

II INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR RESIDENTS

A. Eligibility and Selection of Residents: The Sponsoring Institution must have written policies and procedures for resident recruitment and appointment and must monitor each program for compliance. These eligibility requirements must address the following:

1. Resident eligibility: Applicants with one of the following qualifications are eligible for appointment to programs:

a) Graduates of medical schools in the United States and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
b) Graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
c) Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada who meet one of the following qualifications:

(1) Have received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates prior to appointment, or,
(2) Have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction in which they are training.​

d) Graduates of medical schools outside the United States who have completed a Fifth Pathway** program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school.​

So, theoretically if you train outside the US and are ECFMG certified, you can train in an ACGME fellowship.

Realistically, it's unlikely -- for several reasons:

1. In Internal Medicine, there is a rule that averaged over 5 years, 75% of all fellows must be ACGME trained in IM. This allows only 25% of slots to go to DO's and residents trained outside the US/Canada.

2. Many, many fellowships require that you get a full license as part of your fellowship. You will be unable to do so without a full US residency.

Most importantly, as mentioned above, you will NOT be able to sit for any of the IM specialty boards without being first ABIM certified (which you cannot be without a US residency) and you will likely not be able to work in the US after such a fellowship.

It also depends tremendously on how competitive the field is. In the IM world, you might be able to do this in ID, Geriatrics, or Endo. There would be essentially no / little chance of doing it in Cards, GI, or Heme/Onc

The rules for other RRC's may be more strict.

 

[dhb]

Luckily, I'm not "most program directors"

As stated above, the answer does depend somewhat on what field we are talking about. However, all ACGME fellowships are bound by the Insitutional Requirements, which state:



So, theoretically if you train outside the US and are ECFMG certified, you can train in an ACGME fellowship.

Realistically, it's unlikely -- for several reasons:

1. In Internal Medicine, there is a rule that averaged over 5 years, 75% of all fellows must be ACGME trained in IM. This allows only 25% of slots to go to DO's and residents trained outside the US/Canada.

2. Many, many fellowships require that you get a full license as part of your fellowship. You will be unable to do so without a full US residency.

Most importantly, as mentioned above, you will NOT be able to sit for any of the IM specialty boards without being first ABIM certified (which you cannot be without a US residency) and you will likely not be able to work in the US after such a fellowship.

It also depends tremendously on how competitive the field is. In the IM world, you might be able to do this in ID, Geriatrics, or Endo. There would be essentially no / little chance of doing it in Cards, GI, or Heme/Onc

The rules for other RRC's may be more strict.

Thanks, this is for an anesthesiology ACGME fellowship which unfortunately is becoming very competitive. I'm looking to stay in the US after the fellowship i just think it's better than in Europe.

Thanks everyone for the imput