Pathway 2 and ECFMG Certification
The Pathways are new for ECFMG applicants who want to apply for residency in the United States.
There are a total of 6 PATHWAYS. In a previous post, I talk about Pathway 1. In this article, I will go over Pathway 2.
Pathway 2 is an option for IMGs to pursue a residency in the United states.
Pathway Two Requires An OSCE
The requirement for pathway 2 is that the applicant must have passed a medical based objective structured clinical examination, otherwise known as an OSCE. An OSCE has become a standard examination method at the medical school level.
The United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 2 Clinical Skills (USMLE Step 2 CS) was an OSCE that both American medical graduates and international medical graduates took.
The OSCE must be objective, so everyone is evaluated the same.
It is structured into parts, often with 5 to 10 minute patient encounters, sometimes called stations. They often involve a standardized patient, an SP, who will act as a patient with a specific illness or condition. Other OSCEs may involve mannequin models to practice on.
The purpose of an OSCE is to test clinical skills, not knowledge.
The focus is on clinical interactions with patients such as counseling and history taking. They also check how a student performs procedures in an examination.
Lastly, they check if a student can interpret data they have. This could be an X-ray, a CT scan image, or a blood test report, to give a few examples.
Remember, this is part of the way to get certified by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the ECFMG.
Now, most medical schools probably have an OSCE. As of 2016, about 135 medical schools in the United States have an OSCE for graduation purposes.
WFME Approved
Your medical school must be approved by the World Federation for Medical Education, the WFME. Your OSCE must also be approved by the medical regulatory agency (MRA) in your home country.
The approval must be before 2020.
You have to have graduated after January 1, 2021.
What is useful is that if your country is not served by any accrediting agency recognized by the ECFMG, your medical school’s OSCE might be allowed. Please check the link Medical Schools Eligible for Pathways 2023.
Criteria
The same criteria apply for applicants as do all other pathways.
You will need to take the United States Medical Licensing Exam – USMLE – Step 1 and Step 2 Clinicak Knowledge USMLE Step 1 and Step 2CK exams.
For the USMLE Step 1, you must have a passing score.
For the USMLE Step 2 CK, the passing score is 209. However, each particular program may have its own preferred Step 1: passing
You also need the Occupational English Test Medicine, otherwise referred to as OET Medicine.
For the scores, you will need 300 in all areas: writing, speaking, reading and listening.
The cost for this pathway is $925 which must be paid at the time of application.
