Got your USMLE/ECFMG ID? Apply for ECFMG Certification.

After having a USMLE/ECFMG ID, you can start you application for any of the USMLE exams except for Step 3. But before that you have to fill an application for ECFMG certification.

You can do that by going to the Interactive Web Applications((IWA)in the ECFMG website. Here is the link for it. 

Click here: https://secure2.ecfmg.org/emain.asp?app=iwa

Log in with your ID and password; Read the instructions and fill the details.

There is a $65 fee for the application.

Today I am going to tell you about the importance of ECFMG certification for an IMG (International Medical Graduate).

1.              It is a must for the IMGs who want to end up in residency or fellowship. 

2.              It is a must for any kind of medical practice by an IMG in the USA

3.              It convinces the residency program directors that you have met the minimum requirements to enter their program. (Some residency programs want the IMGs to be certified by the time they even apply for residency)

4.              It is a must for applying for Step 3 examination.

Here comes the important question- When will I be ECFMG certified?

Answer:

You will be automatically certified once you pass all the three exams- Step 1, Step 2 CK & CS. Your medical school credentials must be also verified by then. Typically it takes 10- 14 days after the result of your last exam.

As soon as you submit the application for ECFMG certification, your application becomes valid. You can go ahead and start applying for any examination of your choice.

                                                              
Your ECFMG certificate will look like this.

I would love to hear your feedback. Please leave your comments below

How to get a USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number? - Guide for an International medical graduate (IMG)

United States Medical Licencing Examination (USMLE) program conducts licensing exams for the doctors in the United States of America. It allows the foreign medical graduates (FMG) to take the exams as well. FMG/ International medical graduate (IMG) is a citizen or non-citizen who studies medical education outside the USA. Any medical student/graduate 

around the world can appear for the exams if their medical school/college/university is registered in the World directory of medical schools. http://www.wdoms.org/ You can go to this site and look for your medical college. It also provides details of your eligibility applying for ECFMG.

If you are an IMG, your first step towards the USMLE journey is to register in the Educational Commission for Foreign medical graduates (ECFMG). Don't worry about the long names and their abbreviations, you will be used to them once you make the plunge into the USMLE journey.  There are different medical education systems across the globe that award medical degrees as MD, MBBS, MBChB, MBBCh, BMBCh, BMBS, etc. ECFMG is a special non-profit organization that evaluates foreign medical degree. So, the first step to start your journey towards USMLE is to get a USMLE/ECFMG ID number. You can do it going to the following site. https://secure2.ecfmg.org/emain.asp?app=iwa

You should request a USMLE ID on the page. You will be then required to fill the biographic and contact details. Make sure that you legal name and address are filled according to that in your passport. The details are going to stay forever in the ECFMG record. So carefully fill in all the details to the best of your knowledge. Once you submit your details, it takes about 5-10 days for the ECFMG to issue you the ID with a one-time password. An e-mail would be sent to your e-mail account you mentioned in the application. You need to login with the USMLE ID and the one time password. After logging in you can change your password. Be careful with the upper and lower case letters. If you are not able to login after 3-4 attempts using the password, the account will be blocked for 24 hours. If you don't receive any email within 5-10 days you can contact them through email or call them. Here is the contact page http://www.ecfmg.org/contact.html. You are good to start your Step1/2CK/2CS application once you have your unique USMLE ID. Good luck! Let me know how it went.