All International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who want to become Board Certified and gain State Licensure will need to complete a Residency Training Program after gaining ECFMG Certification.
Residency is an initial training program in a particular specialty with a training hospital in the US. Residency Programs last for between 3 and 8 years depending on the Program.
For IMGs, Residency may present the challenges of "repeating" at least some of your training while simultaneously adapting to the specific procedures and culture of US teaching hospitals.
Which Specialty?
Certain specialties are incredibly competitive and you will be in direct competition with US Medical Graduates for a limited number of places. Programs that offer competitive training, high fellowship acceptance rates, high specialty board exam passing rates, strong and receptive leadership, and a balance between education and service tend to fill their positions each year.
Other specialties are far less competitive for International Medical Graduates and may offer higher chances of acceptance so make sure you do your research.
A good place to start is the Graduate Medical Education Directory (also known as the “Green Book”) or access the online FRIEDA database. Both of these are available through the American Medical Association and contain program information by specialty and by location.
Popular specialties for IMGs include Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Pediatrics, Surgery, and Psychiatry.