Countries Covered By ECFMG
Certification by the ECFMG is one of the major steps for international medical graduates to get a start in medicine in the United States.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates – ECFMG – is the only authority in the United States that verifies and certifies IMG credentials and backgrounds.
With the abolition of the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 2 Clinical Skills (USMLE Step 2 CS) in 2020, the ECFMG has set up requirements for IMGs to come to the US.
One major requirement is that a medical graduate’s medical school be accredited or approved for the ECFMG.
One organization is the World Directory of Medical Schools, WDOMS.
This organization lists almost all medical schools in the world. They have a school profile, and several tabs on each profile. The last tab on the right should have a note about ECFMG approval for the school. If the note is there, medical graduates can apply for certification.
The other organization is the Word Federation for Medical Education, WFME.
The WFME is a collection of different medical authorities from around the world. They evaluate accrediting agencies around the world. Accredited agencies by the WFME are also approved for the ECFMG.
In 2024, IMGs wanting certification in the US must be from WFME accredited schools.
This means that if you apply in and after 2024, your medical school must be accredited by the WFME or a WFME-approved agency.
It will not matter if you are a practicing doctor with 10 years of experience.
WFME Accredited Schools
The following countries have accreditation agencies that have partnered with the WFME. Graduates from the schools accredited in these countries do not have any problem with applying for ECFMG certification, and therefore the Match.
The Caribbean has 2 agencies; each agency handles different schools, not necessarily countries.
TEPDAD covers Turkey and several Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and Lebanon.
Canada and the US are covered. In 2022, osteopaths are covered as well for the US.
South Korea and Japan each have agencies. Australia and New Zealand are both covered under the Australian Medical Council (AMC).
Former Soviet Union nations and the Russian Federation are covered under the IAAR. Georgia has its own agency, and in 2022, Kyrgystan has its own agency as well.
Sudan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Egypt, Brazil and Taiwan have agencies.
Dutch speakers are covered for the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) by one agency.
Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus are covered.
China, Ireland, Jordan, Hungary and Saudi Arabia have agencies.
Ireland has an agency, and Bahrain was recently accredited with the Irish agency.
In Spain, only Catalonia has a recognized agency.
The IAI covers Panama and Bolivia.
Countries Applying
As of August 2022, the following countries have applied officially for WFME accreditation. Please note that the list is not complete as some countries have stated that they have applied, but it is not reflected.
Germany and Austria
Italy
Colombia
Israel
Spain
The Philippines
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Pakistan’s agency, the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has stated it has applied for accreditation.
There is a report that India’s National Medical Council (NMC) has also applied. This could not be confirmed or denied.
ECFMG Pathway Schools
Pathways are how IMGs can apply for ECFMG certification. There are 6 Pathways, and you can read about Pathway 1, Pathway 2, Pathway 3 to 5 and Pathway 6.
They fulfill the medical education and knowledge requirement that was formally met by the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 2 Clinical Skills.
The ECFMG has approved many schools for Pathways eligibility. This means if you are a graduate of one of the universities, you can apply for ECFMG certification based on that pathway.
Pathway 2
Bangladesh (70 schools)
Spain (40 schools)
Pakistan (97 schools)
Pathway 3
Australia (22 schools)
Belgium (4 schools)
Brazil (38 schools)
China (99 schools)
Egypt (16 schools)
Georgia (19 schools)
Japan (58 schools)
Indonesia (38 schools)
Iran (63 schools)
Malaysia (1 school)
South Korea (41 schools)
Taiwan (12 schools)
Saudi Arabia (14 schools)
Russia (4 schools)
Turkey (25 schools)
Thailand (22 schools)
United Arab Emirates (8 schools)
Ukraine (2 schools)
Pathway 4
Czech Republic (9 schools)
Dominican Republic (12 schools)
Israel (4 schools)
Poland (21 schools)
United Kingdom (34 schools)
Pathway 5
Qatar (1 school)
Singapore (1 school)
Summary
This information is for IMGs to make informed choices. As you can see, students who attend medical schools in some countries have a variety of options available for them.
If your country is not mentioned, you can check to see if your school is listed in WDOMS with the ECFMG availability in the tab as mentioned above.
