Starting residency requirements

[luCZky]

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Hi,
I'm trying to get some time frame for a bureaucratic process after Match. It's usually clear what requirements different programs have to rank you and accept into a residency. But I'm little bit struggling with requirements for starting a residency. For IMGs ofc. I'm aware of (maybe) different requirements in different states but I've a problem even to find out what the general ones are.

So far I found that we need ECFMG certificate and any kind of possible visa (H1B/J-1/GC).. but what else? Any kind of medical license? SSN? bank account? insurance? ..? anything else? ..?

Thx

 

[killerleaf]

In general, you are going to need to prove that you can work here in the US; the form of that might be dependent on visa status, and the state you are in. Some states require you to have a medical license by a certain point, others may issue you a "permit" for the time of your residency. Most institutions are going to want to use direct deposit, so it is a good idea to have a bank account.

The big thing is: after Match, you will be receiving a ton of information from your new program. Pay close attention to it, and follow it TO THE LETTER. Just because your friend who matched in another institution says to do it one way, do the paperwork the way YOUR PROGRAM says to do it. If you do not follow directions, it causes headaches for everyone.

 

[drcrispmd]

You will need a bank account and also a SSN (you will be required to pay state and federal taxes, which are taken out automatically from your check). You will have to have ECFMG certification. They will send you info for the visa and any license. Be sure you will be able to check your email often. They will start emailing stuff usually the week after the match or at least let you know to expect documents. Also have a way to either fax or scan and email documents. If you have graduated already you can start the ECFMG process (you have to have a degree to start).

 

[shan564]

Top priorities should be ECFMG certification and your training license (which most states will give you for the duration of your residency). ECFMG certification takes several weeks after they receive all of your documents, and licensing takes several weeks after ECFMG certification... so if things get delayed slightly (as they often do), you might not be licensed in time to start working.

Visa will take time also, but the process varies depending on the type of visa.

All of the other things (bank account, insurance, etc.) don't take too long, so you can wait to do that until after the Match.

 

[luCZky]

Thx.
The situation is that I will finish my MD in April so until July there are only about two months to get all the required stuff. This is not too much time so I must understand whole process in advance and I have to go through the whole process systematically without any mistakes to finish it in time.
It's obvious that I am no eligible to get ECFMG certificate before getting a MD degree and ofc thus can't get anything that has the certificate as a requirement. But there may be any other things which are possible to "solve" in advance without the cert. which may save me some time. But even if there is nothing possible to do without the cert. I need to know what is really necessary to have to be eligible to start a residency and what can be solved lets say during July.
I should be able to find out what are the requirements for everything needed but with lack of knowledge what the "needed things" are .. it's an impossible.

ECFMG certificate and visas are obviously necessary.

You talked about licensing... I found only this http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/abo...e/state-licensure-board-requirements-img.page but it looks like that these requirements are necessary only to get "standard/full/.." license to practice "without surveillance" I mean after finishing residency+whole USMLE+board exams. But are there any states which require an IMG residents to hold anything like "training license"? Where it can be found?

About SSN.. ofc I have to pay taxes.. but do I need it before residency or is it possible to solve it out during July since first salary is after that? (btw stupid question.. in the US the taxes are taken out from salary every month? I thought that you get whole salary and have to pay taxes once by a year🙄).

As for an insurance.. I guess it should take only few minutes to fill in contract at insurance company's website.. shouldn't it? And afterward it is usually valid from next day, isn't it?
Probably the same holds for bank account?... at least here in Europe it takes only minutes to fill in papers to get an account number..

So anything else is necessary? Because it looks too easy now... just a 4-6 weeks for certificate and up to a 1 week for visa...

thx

 

[killerleaf]

Depending on the state, licensing can take up to 6 weeks. Most states have a "training permit", others require you to have a full on license. You MUST HAVE ONE OR THE OTHER whether you are an IMG or not...and you must follow the laws of the state you will be doing your residency in. I would do a search BY STATE for their medical licensing board, and look at their requirements. What holds true in Texas does not hold true in California, or Alabama. And some institutions have their own requirements...for instance, most fellowships are going to require you to be fully licensed before you start. Some residencies require you to have your full license before a certain point.

Getting your SSN can also take up to 6 weeks. At our institution, you have to show a valid SSN 3 weeks before your start date, at the pre-employement appointment. There is federal paperwork you have to have onboard before you actually start getting a paycheck; and if the paperwork is not straight, you don't start.

Yes, taxes are taken out of each check. Federal, and for some states, State tax. At the end of the year, (well, in January or so) you file your income tax return. (the once a year thing you were thinking about)

I don't know what insurance you are talking about; most programs provide health insurance for their residents. That information is usually on the program's website, so you may want to double check before you go buy something you won't need.

 

[597622]

I wasn't sure where to post this issue, but it is related to what everyone above was discussing. My dilemma is which match to apply for. I graduate May 2015. The question is whether to apply for 2015 match or 2016 match. The issue is many, many programs list "ECFMG certificate" as a requirement to apply. This seems nuts to me because that means someone has to be AT LEAST 1 year out of school because if the match is in March, and you graduate in May/June how can you have your ECFM certificate ready the previous September for ERAS if you need your diploma to get the certificate?
What I'm asking is do programs that list this as a requirement also consider having all the exams for ECFMG certification and a graduation date before July 1, an equivalent to the actual piece of paper that says you are ECFM certified? I just don't want to apply the fall before I graduate and basically be thrown out of PD's searches based on the fact that my ECFM certification is "pending" because I haven't yet graduated (neither has all of the US students who apply each fall in their 4th year).

 

[rokshana]

I wasn't sure where to post this issue, but it is related to what everyone above was discussing. My dilemma is which match to apply for. I graduate May 2015. The question is whether to apply for 2015 match or 2016 match. The issue is many, many programs list "ECFMG certificate" as a requirement to apply. This seems nuts to me because that means someone has to be AT LEAST 1 year out of school because if the match is in March, and you graduate in May/June how can you have your ECFM certificate ready the previous September for ERAS if you need your diploma to get the certificate?
What I'm asking is do programs that list this as a requirement also consider having all the exams for ECFMG certification and a graduation date before July 1, an equivalent to the actual piece of paper that says you are ECFM certified? I just don't want to apply the fall before I graduate and basically be thrown out of PD's searches based on the fact that my ECFM certification is "pending" because I haven't yet graduated (neither has all of the US students who apply each fall in their 4th year).

many programs confuse "certified" and "verified"…if a program lists ECFMG certified, call them and ask for clarification about the requirements (though there are many programs in Cali that will require a PTAL and yes, you can't get that until you have diploma in hand and that would require waiting to apply).

if you graduate in may 2015, you are better off applying for 2015…you will be a year out if you apply to 2016 and that will add just another hurdle (and as an IMG you have enough of them as it is).

BTW, verified means having passed Step I, CK, and CS before ROL is due…which is a requirement for I/FMGs to remain in the match…certified means passed the steps + have diploma.

 

[luCZky]

I wasn't sure where to post this issue, but it is related to what everyone above was discussing. My dilemma is which match to apply for. I graduate May 2015. The question is whether to apply for 2015 match or 2016 match. The issue is many, many programs list "ECFMG certificate" as a requirement to apply. This seems nuts to me because that means someone has to be AT LEAST 1 year out of school because if the match is in March, and you graduate in May/June how can you have your ECFM certificate ready the previous September for ERAS if you need your diploma to get the certificate?
What I'm asking is do programs that list this as a requirement also consider having all the exams for ECFMG certification and a graduation date before July 1, an equivalent to the actual piece of paper that says you are ECFM certified? I just don't want to apply the fall before I graduate and basically be thrown out of PD's searches based on the fact that my ECFM certification is "pending" because I haven't yet graduated (neither has all of the US students who apply each fall in their 4th year).

Yeah.. this suck. I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm graduating in April 2015 thus the same situation here. When I was going through every single pediatrics program's website I found out that about one half of them mentions that and the rest?! usually doesn't mention IMGs requirements or has web with no information at all. And it's still about 100 of 200 programs which specifically says that you need to be certified to apply/get IV/ be ranked... This sucks cause we want to apply to every single possible program there but this looks like I'm going to flush away more than 2,500$ :-/
I believe that they are not aware of the differences between certified/verified at all like rokshana said... but can't be sure. I'm going to email all of them during August/September to explain the difference and to ask them whether it is lose of money or not to apply there... maybe at least few responses could come back to save me a money or encourage me for applying.
But I'm definitely applying for 2015 Match no matter what... I can make up the 2,500$ loss during a year if anything happens but there is no way how to compensate 1 missed shot for getting matched...