> Eligibility for Step 3 can't really require an MD for FMGs since you only get these in the US
It requires graduation from medical school, whatever the title is they give you (MBBS, diplomat medicien.....)
> - USMLE consists of the following steps:
> 1 (which can be taken in the UK at the end of second year),
Correct. You have to be in school for 2 years in order to enroll.
It asks mainly pre-clinical sciences such as pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, behavioural science and the like.
> 2CK (both of which can also be taken at the end of second year, but
> are based on clinical knowledge and skills so probably should not be
> taken at this point....) and
You want to take 2ck after you have had some exposure to the clinical subjects such as medicine surgery and the like.
> 2cs
A practical exam with actors playing the part of the patient. It tests whether you speak enough english to interview a patient and whether you have very basic clinical exam skills. It also tests whether you are able to syntesize the results of your history and physical and bring it onto a piece of paper in a semi-congruent fashion.
> What's Step 3 about?
It is about understanding US medicine in the context of US society. The subject matter is essentially limited to family practice. The key is to understand that the medically correct answer might not be the one desired by society. There are plenty of 'scenarios' where you have to click your way through fake clinical cases and 'order tests' and other entertainment.
> When do you guys take it?
During internship (PGY-1, first year of residency, doesn't have to be in internal medicine).
> I understand that ECFMG certification is necessary for eligibility for
> Step 3, yet this cannot be awarded until medical school has
> been completed, and Step 1 & 2CK have been passed.
You don't have to pass step3 in order to start a residency. 1,2ck,2cs are sufficient. However, if you are not a US citizen or permanent resident (green-card), you have to deal with the issue of visas. And in order to be eligible for the more interesting H1b visa, you need to be 'eligible for licensure'. And the immigration authorities here interpret passing of step3 to be evidence of this.
Year 1 Medical school (studying for USMLE Step 1)
Year 2 medical school (studying for USMLE Step 1)
- After Year 2, take USMLE Step 1.
Year 3 Medical school (studying for USMLE Steps 2CK & 2CS)
Year 4 Medical school (studying for USMLE Steps 2CK & 2CS)
Year 5 Medical school(studying for USMLE Steps 2CK & 2CS)
After graduation take Steps 2CK and 2CS. Will be given ECFMG certification upon passing these exams. Apply for Step 3 at this point.
Reasonable timeline. However, you might want to take 2ck and 2cs during your last year of medschool .
> It seems like the timeline here is quite similar for US students so do
> you guys usually have to take a year out inbetween graduating med
> school and starting your residency?
US medstudents only need step1 in order to apply for residencies (historically you didn't take the then step2 until the end of 4th year). They don't need the extra step of ECFMG certification.
> go to interviews (hopefully!) in January/February, sit my final exams
> in June of that year, sit Steps 2CK and CS in say July of that year,
As a foreign graduate, you will have a hard time to get any interviews if you are not ECFMG certified by the time you apply. The bar is a bit higher for FMGs in that respect.
> That doesn't leave me very much time to sit my Step 3 before starting
> a residency. I'm presuming that residencies usually start in September?
They start july 1st. As I mentioned, while for visa reasons it can be advisable to pass step3 before starting residency, it is not a requirement.
If you are from the UK, it might be worthwhile to do a pre-registration house officer year or a foundation year. That way, you have some clinical experience which helps you to get interviews and it also gives you a time period to finish up the paperwork such as step3 (it also makes you eligible for full GMC registration. This might be worthwhile if you ever intend on going back to the UK).
And oh, these things change all the time, so todays knowledge might not apply 7 years from now when you hit the real world. When I started out in the certification process, there was still the 2 part FMGMS (costing about $600 total). By now it is a 4 part exam (costing about $2800).
