Launch your family medicine career as an IMG
Plan your next steps, explore career opportunities and prepare for life after residency.
Completing residency is an important milestone—and the beginning of your next chapter as a family physician.
As an international medical graduate (IMG), your transition into practice may involve additional considerations, including immigration status, employer sponsorship and state licensure requirements.
Whether you're exploring fellowship opportunities, searching for your first attending position or preparing to enter practice, the AAFP offers resources to help you plan your next steps.
When should you begin career planning?
It's never too early to think about your career after residency. Beginning the process during your second year of training can give you time to explore opportunities, connect with mentors and understand requirements that may affect your options.
A general timeline can help:
PGY-1: Explore your interests, learn about different practice settings and build relationships with mentors.
PGY-2: Identify career priorities, research fellowships and employment opportunities, and begin discussing immigration considerations if applicable.
PGY-3: Apply for positions or fellowships, evaluate offers, complete licensing and credentialing requirements, and prepare for the transition into practice.
If you need employer sponsorship or a J-1 waiver, begin discussing your options early. Immigration requirements and processing timelines may affect your career decisions.
Explore the AAFP's resident resources for career planning tools throughout your training.
Explore your family medicine career options
Family medicine offers opportunities to practice in a variety of settings, including community health centers, hospitals, academic medicine, rural communities and outpatient practices.
As you consider your next step, think about:
The patient populations and communities you want to serve
Your clinical interests and preferred scope of practice
Opportunities for teaching, research or leadership
Geographic preferences and family considerations
Work schedules, compensation and professional support
Immigration or sponsorship requirements, if applicable
The AAFP's career options in family medicine resource can help you explore different practice settings and find opportunities that align with your goals.
Consider fellowship opportunities
A fellowship can provide additional training in a focused area of family medicine, such as sports medicine, geriatrics, obstetrics, palliative care or academic medicine.
Fellowship training isn't required for most family medicine career paths, but it may be valuable if you want to develop specialized skills or pursue particular professional interests.
Before applying, consider:
How the fellowship aligns with your long-term goals
Program eligibility and application requirements
Training length, location and financial considerations
Visa sponsorship or immigration requirements, if applicable
Explore the AAFP's fellowship resources to learn about opportunities and the application process.
Find your first family medicine job
Search opportunities with AAFP CareerLink
AAFP CareerLink connects family physicians with employment opportunities across different practice settings.
You can search for positions by location, job function and other criteria, including visa assistance. CareerLink also offers job alerts, CV resources and career guidance.
As you evaluate opportunities, consider both the position and the community where you'll live and work.
Find employers familiar with IMG and visa requirements
If you'll need immigration sponsorship after residency, look for employers with experience hiring international medical graduates.
AAFP CareerLink's visa assistance search option can help you identify potential opportunities, but confirm sponsorship policies directly with each employer.
Questions to ask prospective employers include:
Does your organization sponsor physicians who require employment-based immigration authorization?
Have you previously hired physicians completing residency in J-1 or H-1B status?
Does your organization support eligible physicians pursuing J-1 waiver opportunities?
Who coordinates immigration applications and related requirements?
Are there location, employment or start-date requirements I should understand?
An employer's experience with IMG hiring doesn't guarantee that a particular position will qualify for sponsorship or a waiver. Consult the employer's immigration representative or a qualified immigration professional before making decisions.
Get support through AAFP Early Career Pathfinder
The transition from residency into practice brings new decisions and responsibilities. Having guidance from physicians who've recently navigated that transition can help.
The AAFP's Early Career Pathfinder pilot program connects eligible family medicine residents with near-peer mentorship and practical career resources.
The program is designed to help participants navigate career decisions, build professional connections and prepare for life after residency. Participation options include flexible mentorship and digital resources.
Visit the program page to learn about eligibility and current participation opportunities.
Prepare for the transition to practicing independently
Moving from supervised residency training into independent practice involves new clinical, administrative and professional responsibilities.
Complete licensing and credentialing requirements
Before beginning your first attending position, confirm the requirements for the state and practice setting where you'll work.
These may include:
Obtaining an unrestricted state medical license
Meeting board certification or board eligibility requirements
Completing employer and hospital credentialing
Obtaining required professional liability coverage
Completing payer enrollment and other administrative requirements
Requirements vary by state, employer and practice setting.
Visit the Federation of State Medical Boards for state medical licensing information and the American Board of Family Medicine for certification requirements.