International Medical Graduates (IMG)
Links to external websites are provided as a courtesy. They are neither a guarantee nor an endorsement by the AAFP of the products or services offered on other websites.
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
-- ECFMG's program of certification assesses the readiness of IMGs to enter residency or fellowship programs in the United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc.
-- National organization comprised of the 70 medical boards of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
-- Information on citizenship and immigration.
American Medical Association International Medical Graduates Section (AMA-IMG Section)
-- Supports and represents physicians who graduated from medical school outside the United States or Canada.
Ethnic Physician Organization Listing
-- Listing of various ethnic physician organizations.
Guidelines for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) Who Wish to Enter a U.S. Training Program
-- Provides general information for international medical graduates who wish to enter a U.S. residency program.
Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
-- Provides information regarding HPSAs, which may have shortages of primary medical care, dental or mental health providers and may be urban or rural areas, population groups or medical or other public facilities.
AAFP CareerLink
-- AAFP CareerLink is an information exchange between physicians and other family medicine educators seeking a position and "opportunities" -- including physicians, communities, hospitals, faculty programs, and others who are seeking candidates to join their organization.
The Physician Reentry into the Workforce Project
-- Web site provides information regarding physician reentry into practice -- an issue that cuts across genders and specialties.
AAPI Clinical Observerships
-- The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) offers new international medical graduates waiting for a residency training program position an opportunity to take advantage of observership programs through its regional chapters. The observership programs help familiarize new IMGs with how medicine is practiced in the United States, help them prepare for interviews, and help provide an easy transition into residency training.
American Medical Association IMG Observership Guidelines
-- The AMA guidelines are provided to be used as a template for physicians seeking to establish an Observership Program to help acculturate international medical graduates (IMGs) to the practice of medicine in the United States.
ECFMG Acculturation Program
-- ECFMG is developing a spectrum of resources designed to help IMGs as they learn about the U.S. medical system in which they will be learning and training during their GME and about living in the United States.
STFM IMG Residency Preparation
-- STFM has produced online self-study courses for incoming residents to help them be better prepared for their training. Courses include: The US Healthcare System; Expectations of American Patients; Communication With Patients; Operations of a Family Medicine Residency Program; and Succeeding in a US Family Medicine Residency Program.
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)
-- A private, not-for-profit corporation providing a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education (GME) in the United States.
