Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Graduate Medical Education and Career Paths

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
International Medical Graduate Physicians

  • 654 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter demystifies graduate medical education in the United States: what it is, how to enter, how to succeed, and what to do after completion. The chapter outlines the process and the reasoning behind the process so it no longer appears to be arbitrary and labyrinthine.

In order for a graduate of an international medical school to work as a licensed physician in the United States, he or she must obtain graduate-level medical education—residency—in the United States, and obtain appropriate licensure. This chapter explains what this education is, the necessary prerequisites, and the process for obtaining it. Because entrance into graduate medical education programs is competitive, the chapter also discusses techniques that can help international medical graduate physicians be successful and offers suggestions for success during and after residency.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. [http://www.ecfmg.org/]. About ECFMG certification [updated 2014 March 24; cited 2014 June 26]. Available from http://www.ecfmg.org/certification/index.html.

  2. International medical graduates in American medicine: contemporary challenges and opportunities. A position paper by the AMA-IMG Section Governing Council. January 2013. Available from http://www.omionline.org/newsite/docs/img_workforce_paper.pdf.

  3. Brotherton SE, Etzel SI. Graduate medical education 2012-2013. JAMA. 2013;310(21):2328–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Iglehart JK. The uncertain future of Medicare and graduate medical education. N Engl J Med. 2011;365(14):1340–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. National Residency Matching Program. 2014 NRMP Main Residency Match Advance Data Tables. 2014. Available from http://www.nrmp.org/2014-nrmp-main-residency-match-results/.

  6. Jolly P, Boulet J, Garrison G, Signer MM. Participation in U.S. graduate medical education by graduates of international medical schools. Acad Med. 2011;86(5):559–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. ECFMG Certificate Holders Office. IMGs in the 2013 Match. 2013. Available from http://www.ecfmg.org/echo/imgs-2013-match.pdf.

  8. National Resident Matching Program and Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Charting outcomes in the match for international medical graduates national resident matching program and educational commission for foreign medical graduates. 1st ed. 2014. Available from http://www.ecfmg.org/resources/NRMP-ECFMG-Charting-Outcomes-in-the-Match-International-Medical-Graduates-2014.pdf.

  9. Driver TH, Loh AR, Joseph D, Keenan JD, Naseri A. Predictors of ophthalmology residency for international medical graduates. Ophthalmology. 2014;121(4):974–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Levounis P. Changing the culture. In: Levounis P, Arnaout B, editors. Handbook of motivation and change: a practical guide for clinicians. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2010. p. 223–36.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Association of American Medical Colleges. 2012 Physician Specialty Data Book. Center for workforce studies. Available from https://members.aamc.org/eweb/upload/2012PhysicianSpecialtyDataBook.pdf.

  12. Cohen JJ. The role and contributions of IMGs: a U.S. perspective. Acad Med. 2006;81(12):S17–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hart LG, Skillman SM, Fordyce M, Thompson M, Hagopian A, Konrad TR. International medical graduate physicians in the United States: changes since 1981. Health Aff. 2007;26(4):1159–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Boulet JR, Cassimatis EG, Opalek A. The role of international medical graduate psychiatrists in the United States healthcare system. Acad Psychiatry. 2012;36:293–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Salsberg E, Nolan J. The post training plans of international medical graduates and US medical graduates in New York state. JAMA. 2000;283(13):1749–50.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Zoghbi WA, Alegria JR, Beller GA, Doty WD, Jones RH, Labovitz AJ, et al. Working group 4: international medical graduates and the cardiology workforce. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004;44(2):245–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Fink KS, Phillips RL, Fryer GE, Koehn N. International medical graduates and the primary care workforce for rural underserved areas. Health Aff. 2003;22(2):255–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Hing E, Lin S. Role of international medical graduates providing office-based medical care: United States, 2005-2006. NCHS Data Brief. 2009;13:1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Mick SS, Lee SY. Are there need-based geographical differences between international medical graduates and U.S. medical graduates in rural U.S. Counties? J Rural Health. 1999;15:26–43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Fordyce MA, Doescher MP, Chen FM, Hart LG. Osteopathic physicians and international medical graduates in the rural primary care physician workforce. Fam Med. 2012;44(6):396–403.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Norcini JJ, Boulet JR, Dauphinee WD, Opalek A, Krantz ID, Anderson ST. Evaluating the quality of care provided by graduates of international medical schools. Health Aff. 2010;29(8):1461–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Alexander H, Heinig SJ, Fang D, Dickler H, Korn D. Contributions of international medical graduates to US biomedical research: the experience of US medical schools. J Investig Med. 2007;55(8):410–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Puljak L. An overlooked source of physician-scientists. J Investig Med. 2007;55(8):402–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Shoyinka S, Aggarwal R, Kagan S, Kramer M, Rand BS. Emerging role for international medical graduates (IMGs) as educators for the future. Transcult Psychiatry. 2011;48(4):511–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. AMA Council on Long Range Planning and Development Report, 2014. Demographic Characteristics of the House of Delegates and AMA Leadership. 2014. CLRPD Report 2-A-13. Available from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/ama-councils/council-long-range-planning-development/projects.page.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, BHSB E 1448, 183 S Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07101, USA

    Rashi Aggarwal M.D.

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 183 S Orange Avenue, Room F-1436, Newark, NJ, 07101, USA

    Petros Levounis M.D., M.A.

Authors
  1. Rashi Aggarwal M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Petros Levounis M.D., M.A.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rashi Aggarwal M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, New York, USA

    Nyapati R. Rao

  2. Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

    Laura Weiss Roberts

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Aggarwal, R., Levounis, P. (2016). Graduate Medical Education and Career Paths. In: Rao, N., Roberts, L. (eds) International Medical Graduate Physicians. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39460-2_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39460-2_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-39458-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39460-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation