Please help, IMG having trouble with ECFMG certificate

[mastmastdonan]

Hey guys,

I am a Caribbean US IMG and I matched for residency this year. After the sheer jubilation died down I have now been wrecked with nervousness this past month because ECFMG is taking forever to process my certificate.

I sent them Form 345 on April 10th. They sent Form 327 to my school on April 16th and my school sent it back to them on April 17th. This is the form that includes your diploma and transcript. So I called ECFMG on April 20th to make sure everything is in order and the guy said to just wait. Well it's been almost 4 weeks since then and I am still waiting. I call every other day and keep getting told to wait. I've e-mailed them, I've asked to talk directly to the credentialing people. I mean I don't mean to be annoying but after working my butt off these past four years to get a residency in this insanely competitive environment, it is really disconcerting to see people taking forever to process simple paperwork.

So now I am not sure what to do. My residency program said that they need the certificate latest by the end of this month because they need to send it to the state board for my residency license, and all of that takes a few weeks to process. So basically should I ask my residency program if I can take my vacation time at the start of residency? Or should I give it a few more weeks before getting that drastic?

Does anyone happen to have any contacts in the ECFMG? Please PM me if you do. I am obviously pretty desperate here and I really want to start my residency on time of course. Also, worst case scenario, but if for any reason my certificate still isn't here by July, there's no way that my program can simply drop me right? Match is a binding commitment even if I don't have my certificate in time? I've googled a lot but haven't found a clear answer.

Anyone that can help out in any way, I sincerely appreciate it. I thought my worries would be gone after Match day but I am way more anxious now 🙁

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[Shikima]

Talked with your new program yet?

 

[CDI]

They'll probably wait if thats the only thing you're waiting on. You're a US Citizen, and that is often the most annoying part for programs to deal with if you needed Visa. Ive heard programs waiting even up to a month or longer into the start. Definitely keep your program informed that you are just waiting on the actual certificate. Anyways, my guess is you'll receive it any day now.

 

[lakersno834]

I received my ECFMG last February (but didn't match). It took them 4-5 weeks to process it. If they have everything they need to issue a certificate, then don't worry. I think you will have it in time. AND they deliver it with Fed-Ex next day delivery. So I would keep your program informed about the process and just be patient. What you should do is call ECFMG and ask them if anything is missing in your file just in case. I did that because I was expecting to have the certificate rather sooner as well. They confirmed over the phone that they had received all the required documents and they are processing it. Keep your program up to speed and things should be all right. Good Luck with the residency!