Roadmap to Residency: - AAMC

Roadmap to Residency: FromApplication to the Match and BeyondII. Being a CandidateAs described in (I) above, most residencytraining programs in the United Statesare ACGME-accredited. This sectionexplains how a candidate can meetprograms’ requirements for candidacy.A. Candidacy requirements forACGME-accredited allopathicmedicine GME programs1. Graduates of U.S. and Canadianmedical schools accredited by theLiaison Committee on MedicalEducation (LCME)The LCME accredits educationalprograms leading to the MD degree inthe United States. The LCME alsoaccredits Canadian medical educationprograms in collaboration with theCommittee on Accreditation ofCanadian Medical Schools (CACMS,www.afmc.ca). The LCME is recognizedas the reliable accreditationauthority for MD programs by thenation’s medical schools and theirparent universities. It also is recognizedfor this purpose by the U.S.Congress in various health-relatedlaws, and by U.S. state, Canadianprovincial, and territorial medicallicensing authorities.Any individual who has graduatedfrom, or plans to graduate from, a U.S.or Canadian LCME-accreditedallopathic medical school is eligible toapply to an ACGME-accreditedresidency training program. A list ofLCME-accredited schools can befound on the AAMC Web site(www.aamc.org/medicalschools.htm).2. Graduates of U.S. colleges ofosteopathic medicine accreditedby the American OsteopathicAssociation (AOA)The American OsteopathicAssociation’s Commission onOsteopathic College Accreditation(AOA COCA, http://doonline.osteotech.org,Accreditation) isrecognized by the U.S. Department ofEducation as the sole accreditingagency for pre-doctoral osteopathicmedical education in the U.S..Any individual who has graduatedfrom, or plans to graduate from, aU.S. AOA-accredited osteopathicmedical school is also eligible toapply to an ACGME-accreditedresidency training program. A list ofAOA-accredited schools can be foundon the AACOM Web site(www.aacom.org/colleges).3. Graduates of medical schoolslocated outside of the United Statesand Canada…A. Who have received a standardECFMG certificate withoutexpired examination dates, ifapplicable, from the ECFMGprior to appointment to aresidency program or receipt of afull and unrestricted license topractice medicine in a U.S.licensing jurisdiction in whichthey are enrolled in a residencytraining programSince medical schools located outsideof the United States and Canada varyin educational standards, curricula,and evaluation methods, the ECFMG,through its certification process,assesses the readiness of internationalmedical graduates (IMGs) to enterU.S. ACGME-accredited residencyand fellowship training programs.International medical graduateswishing to enter a U.S. ACGMEaccreditedresidency or fellowshiptraining program must be certified bythe ECFMG prior to entering theprogram (http://www.ecfmg.org/creds/).International medical graduateswishing to take Step 3 of the threestepUnited States Medical LicensingExamination (USMLE,www.usmle.org) also must becertified by the ECFMG. In addition,ECFMG Certification is required toobtain an unrestricted license topractice medicine in any U.S.licensing jurisdiction.B.Who have completed a FifthPathway program provided by anLCME-accredited medical schoolA Fifth Pathway program is an academicyear of supervised clinical educationprovided by an LCME-accreditedmedical school to students who meet allof the following conditions:• Completion in an accredited U.S.college or university of an undergraduatepremedical education ofthe quality acceptable for matriculationin an accredited U.S. medicalschool2Association of American Medical Colleges, 2005