usmle step 3 what a scam

[Justin4563]

600 dollars to take this exam
I took it on april 2nd and still no results
they told me it was mailed on wed and still have not gotten it.. dont they know what torture it is waiting for these results,, i hope i passes the exam,, hopefully it wil be in the mail tomorrow

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[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Justin4563:
•600 dollars to take this exam
•••••Well, we IMGs have to pay about $750 each for Step 1 and 2, not to mention $1200 for the CSA. Now THAT is a scam.

 

[MacGyver]

sorry stormreaver I feel for you but I belive the US students have more of a gripe than the IMGs.

It is, after all, a privilege to come to the US to practice medicine. I dont think IMGs should be priced out of the market to do this, but I also dont think that the IMG fees must necessarily be the same costs the AMGs pay.

 

[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by MacGyver:
•I dont think IMGs should be priced out of the market to do this, but I also dont think that the IMG fees must necessarily be the same costs the AMGs pay.•••••I agree, I wasn't complaining about the exam fees, more about the CSA. Its an extra exam with a 97% pass rate and $1200 fees. THAT certainly is unfair, and a number of PDs were complaining about it too...

Peace out!

 

[Winged Scapula]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by MacGyver:
•sorry stormreaver I feel for you but I belive the US students have more of a gripe than the IMGs.

It is, after all, a privilege to come to the US to practice medicine. I dont think IMGs should be priced out of the market to do this, but I also dont think that the IMG fees must necessarily be the same costs the AMGs pay.•••••But why should it cost ANYONE (US citizen, foreign national, US grad or IMG) ANYMORE for the SAME test? I fail to see the logic in ECFMG charging more for the same test (besides the very valid argument about the CSA costs).

 

[NuMD97]

Hi, Stormreaver:

Question for you: Why would the PD's be upset about the CSA exam? I would hazzard to guess that they especially would support the exam especially if they were considering hiring IMGs for their program. Just a thought.

 

[carddr]

Soon,very soon, AMGs will be required to take an exam a la CSA for $750. so this fee frenzy is catching on. I believe the CSA was orginally required to test out the communication skills of IMGs, so why, tell me, AMGs will need such a test!! Great source of revenue, me thinks!!!

 

[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by NuMD97:
•Hi, Stormreaver:

Question for you: Why would the PD's be upset about the CSA exam? I would hazzard to guess that they especially would support the exam especially if they were considering hiring IMGs for their program. Just a thought.•••••Presumably, the CSA was developed to test the communication skills of IMGs-- but the interview is used for the same purpose! The PDs I talked to said that they had seen a drop-off in IMG applicants immediately after the introduction of the CSA since the additional cost burden put many of them off. This has increasingly led to a situation where more well-off IMGs are coming through the system; some of my very capable classfellows are not considering taking the US route because of cost concerns, whereas less capable, better-off ones are looking for residencies.

If I remember correctly, it was more the PDs of the University programs which tended to dislike the idea of the CSA-- maybe because there was the additional feature of the exam being introduced for their own students as well?

 

[doc_hubby]

The main reason for a PD to get nervous about an IMG taking the CSA is primaryly a licensing and certification issue. IMG's must complete Steps I & II, the CSA and the TOEFL (For non-english medical programs) in order to qualify for the ECFMG Certificate. This allows the IMG to apply for the temporary license used during resident study.

The really tricky part is that an IMG can match BEFORE completing the CSA. However, in order to start in the Fall as a resident, the IMG must pass the CSA prior to starting.

Hope this helps.

 

[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by doc_hubby:
•The really tricky part is that an IMG can match BEFORE completing the CSA. However, in order to start in the Fall as a resident, the IMG must pass the CSA prior to starting.
•••••Sorry, not true. The IMG has to take the CSA by January 31, and pass it by March 21 to be eligible for the Match.

 

[doc_hubby]

•••quote:••• Sorry, not true. The IMG has to take the CSA by January 31, and pass it by March 21 to be eligible for the Match. ••••Quite right I was a bit confused by another post, but I believe I found the passage in the ECFMG 2002 Information Booklet that may have caused some of the confusion:
•••quote:••• Although you must be ECFMG-certified by the program start date, you can apply to residency programs before you are certified by ECFMG. When you make preliminary inquiries with hospitals, you may use a photocopy of your exam results, which contains your ECFMG certification status. Prior to entering into the program, you should provide the hospital with a copy of your Standard ECFMG Certificate. Additionally, the hospital should contact ECFMG to confirm your ECFMG certification status.
You can also participate in the National Resident Matching Program prior to becoming ECFMG–certified,provided you have passed all exams required for ECFMG certification and the results of these exams are available by the NRMP Rank Order List deadline in February of the year that the training program begins. ••••All of which proves that it's always better to go back and check the original sources. 😀 So the CSA is a must, but ECFMG Certification can still be in process is what they seem to be saying.

 

[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by doc_hubby:
• So the CSA is a must, but ECFMG Certification can still be in process is what they seem to be saying.•••••Not really: your ECFMG certification comes through automatically with your CSA result (provided you've cleared Step 2)-- I got my ECFMG certificate 1 week after my CSA result was announced.

 

[The Pill Counter]

Every IMG has to write the TOEFL, even American citizens, regardless of the language of instruction of the med school.

 

[Winged Scapula]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Stormreaver:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by doc_hubby:
• So the CSA is a must, but ECFMG Certification can still be in process is what they seem to be saying.•••••Not really: your ECFMG certification comes through automatically with your CSA result (provided you've cleared Step 2)-- I got my ECFMG certificate 1 week after my CSA result was announced.•••••Not necessarily - the certificate will only be provided if you have completed the requirements for graduation (not a requirement to take the CSA).

 

[Stormreaver]

Another rather amusing thing: I've got a near-perfect score on the TOEFL (an exam of understanding written English and of writing English), cleared the CSA (an exam of communication in English), been through the interviews and matched, and now the State Board requires me to take yet another English test before they'll issue me a license!

 

[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Kimberli Cox:
•Not necessarily - the certificate will only be provided if you have completed the requirements for graduation (not a requirement to take the CSA).•••••My bad: most IMGs I know take the exam after graduation, so that possibility had slipped my mind. Sorry.