1. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
New ECFMG Certification Accreditation Requirement Characteristics of Polish Medical School Graduates
Marta van Zanten, Ph.D.
Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER)
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

2. Overview of presentation
New ECFMG Certification Requirement
Description of World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) Recognition Program
Demographic characteristics of Polish medical school graduates in the United States
USMLE performance of Polish medical school graduates

3. Current ECFMG Certification Requirements
Medical Education Credentials
Completion of a curriculum of at least 4 years
School and graduation year listed as “current” in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED)
School recognized to grant the MD degree (or equivalent) by local government
Primary-source verification of medical diploma and transcript(s) by ECFMG
USMLE Exams
Step 1 Basic Science
Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK)
Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS)

4. New ECFMG Certification Requirement
Effective in 2023, ECFMG applicants will be required to graduate from an appropriately accredited medical school
Recognition of the accrediting agency by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) will fulfill this new 2023 requirement

5. Purpose of WFME Recognition Program
Develop a mechanism for WFME to “recognize” accrediting agencies
Not a substitute for national accreditation
Facilitates quality improvement and quality assurance
Ensures trustworthiness of the quality of a medical school accredited by a recognized accreditation system
Similar, but not the same as the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) US DoE process

6. WFME Recognition Documents
Policies and Procedures for Recognition of an Accrediting Agency
Describes responsibilities and composition of WFME Recognition Committee, policies, procedures for conducting a review, appeals, etc.
Criteria for Recognition of an Accrediting Agency
Describes the standards used by WFME to evaluate an accrediting agency
Application for Recognition of an Accrediting Agency
“Self-study” template

7. WFME Recognition Criteria
Scope of authority
Existence and availability of standards
Type / appropriateness of standards
Appropriate accreditation process and procedures
Site visits
Qualifications and training of accreditation agency staff
Appropriate process for accreditation decisions
Controls against conflicts of interest
Controls against inconsistent application of standards
Due process
Availability and dissemination of information

8. WFME Recognition Process
Accrediting agency contacts WFME to determine eligibility
Accrediting agency completes the Application for Recognition
WFME Recognition Team observes accrediting agency
conducting a site visit of one medical school
meeting to make accreditation decision of the medical school
WFME Recognition Team writes a report describing the accrediting agency’s compliance with the Recognition Criteria
WFME Recognition Committee makes decision on recognition of accrediting agency
Process takes 6 months - 1 year
Recognition term is 10 years

9. Implementation of the Recognition Program
2010
WFME Recognition process created
2011
Pilot project with CAAM-HP (Regional Caribbean)
2012
Recognition process open to other accrediting agencies
2013
TEPDAD (Turkey)
LCME / CACMS (United States and Canada)

10. Characteristics of Polish Medical Graduates Practicing in the United States

11. Polish Medical Graduates in the United States
All physicians in the US who graduated from Polish medical schools and are listed as active in the current AMA Masterfile: 3,394
Citizenship:
Non-US citizen 75%
US citizen 23%
Unknown 2%
Native Language:
Not English 78%
English 22%
Gender:
Males 51%
Females 49%

12. Polish Medical Graduates in the United States Top 10 Specialties
Specialty
Number
Percent
Internal Medicine
731
22%
Family Medicine
523
15%
Pediatrics
256 8%
Anesthesiology
204 6%
Clinical Pathology 99 3%
OB-GYN 92
Cardiovascular Disease 82
Neurology 75 2%
General Surgery 63
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 51

13. Polish Medical Graduates in the United States Top 10 Practice Locations
Number
Percent
New York
552
16%
Illinois
463
14%
New Jersey
225 7%
Florida
197 6%
California
181 5%
Pennsylvania
180
Texas
127 4%
Michigan
117 3%
Massachusetts
116
Wisconsin 11

14. Polish Medical Graduates in the United States Medical School Attended
Medical School Name
Number
Percent
Medical University of Warsaw
676
20%
Jagiellonian University Medical College
658
Wroclaw Medical University
311 9%
Medical University of Lublin
305
Medical University of Silesia, School of Medicine in Katowice
301
Medical University of Gdansk
240 7%
Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine I
230
Poznan University of Medical Sciences Center for Medical Education In English
190 6%
Akademia Medyczna, Lodz
152 5%
Medical University of Bialystok
145 4%
Pomorski Uniwersytet Medyczny w Szczecinie 86 3%
Medical University of Lodz 15
<1%
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in Zabrze 10
Collegium Medicum im. Ludwika Rydygiera, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika 6
Military Medical Academy 4

15. USMLE Performance (1993 – 2012) First Attempt Pass Rates Step 1 (Basic Science)

16. USMLE Performance (1993 – 2012) First Attempt Pass Rates Step 2 (Clinical Knowledge)

17. USMLE Performance (1993 – 2012) First Attempt Pass Rates Step 2 (Clinical Skills)

18. Graduates of Polish Medical Schools Applicants to ECFMG

19. Graduates of Polish Medical Schools ECFMG Certificate Holders

20. Thank you
Marta van Zanten