A foreign medical school transfer program: student performance and career choices

U.S. medical students who have been unable to gain acceptance into medical schools have long sought alternative pathways into American medical practice. The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) has had a transfer program since 1977 to facilitate entry of Georgia Transfer students into the third-year clinical rotations. After completing a remedial program of three to five months, transfer students have entered the third year and performed similarly to regular MCG students. Evaluation of 31 students who have graduated and for whom data are available shows no significant difference in performance when compared to other MCG students in terms of clinical grade point averages and NBME Part 2 scores. These students were also similar to their MCG peers in the number entering residencies within the state.

Foreign medical graduates and board certification: myths and realities

The participation of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) in American medicine is a longstanding phenomenon, yet the documentation of their role has been mainly impressionistic and anecdotal, particularly in psychiatry. Using the results of a survey on Board certification, the authors compared FMGs with U.S. medical graduates (USMGs) on several variables: demographic characteristics, attitudes toward certification, performance, and personal experience with the examination process. They found that FMGs are more similar than dissimilar to USMGs in attitudes, values, and opinions about certification. The authors conclude that the differences are not sufficiently remarkable to warrant some of the prevalent misconceptions about FMGs.

Exchange visitors program--criteria for evaluating comprehensive plan to reduce reliance on alien physicians--Public Health Service. Interim-final rule with request for comments

These interim final regulations establish the criteria for evaluating the comprehensive plan by programs of graduate medical education or training to reduce reliance on alien physicians under Section 212(j)(2)(A)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as amended by Pub. L. 97-116.

Graduate medical education and certification in physical medicine and rehabilitation

The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has certified 1608 physiatrists as diplomates, of whom 377 were certified in the years 1977 through 1979. For the 1979-1980 educational year, 516 of 608 residency positions were filled. Demographic analysis indicates 43% women and 52% foreign medical graduates (FMG) with an increasing female-to-male ratio and a decreasing ratio of FMGs to American medical graduates (AMGs). On the basis of proposed indices of productivity and quality and of results in the certifying procedures, the 62 currently accredited training programs show a wide distribution of effectiveness. A majority of programs are of good quality and are productive. A significant number apparently have problems that warrant critical self-analysis of all aspects of the educational endeavor. Increased productivity is needed in view of the shortage in the number of persons working in the specialty. Attention should center on recruitment and appointment of good residents, building of strong and effective faculties, and provision of stimulating, balanced educational experiences. Evaluation of competence is a dual function of the training programs and the specialty boards and is currently undergoing in-depth study under the sponsorship of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

Clinical performance and specialty choice of COTRANS students

The clinical performance and specialty choice of 33 Coordinated Transfer Application System (COTRANS) students accepted with advanced standing into the third year of an American medical school were compared with the performance and choice of students from other American medical schools. The undergraduate grade point average of the COTRANS group was considerably lower than that of the other students. The science Medical College Admission Test scores in science were comparable, and the performance on part I of the National Board of Medical Examiners was considerably higher. Clinical performance, choice of specialty, and affiliation of graduate program of the COTRANS students did not differ from those of students entering the curriculum in year 1. Carefully selected students completing the first two years of basic science in a foreign medical school can successfully compete with students already enrolled in the American medical curriculum.

A performance comparison: USMG-FMG attending physicians

To determine whether patterns of differences in performance exist between United States Medical Graduate and Foreign Medical Graduate attending Physicians, two types of inpatient hospital audits (Payne Process Audit and the Joint Committee on Accreditation of Hospitals' Performance Evaluation Program-P.E.P. Audit) were conducted in 22 Maryland and Pennsylvania non-federal, short-term hospitals. A total of 6,980 medical records were abstracted from eight diagnostic categories for 1,321 attending physicians; 985 of which were USMGs and 331 were FMGs. The results from both audits indicate that while there is evidence of a strong hospital-type of physician interaction for many of the diagnoses, there was no significant overall difference in performance between USMG and FMG attending physicians. The largest and most consistent differences in physician performance were associated with hospital characteristics, not physician characteristics.

The foreign medical graduate and public policy: a discussion of the issues and options

This paper analyzes four basic reasons for curtailing the number of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) entering the United States: the loss to less-developed countries, the possible lower quality of medical care delivered by FMGs, the inability of all U.S. citizens who desire to receive a medical education to do so, and the fear of a possible surplus of physicians in the U.S. For each of these concerns, alternatives are presented and analyzed according to how well they would achieve their objectives. Based on the options proposed for reducing the number of FMGs, the conclusion is reached that the primary concern at present is an oversupply of U.S. physicians.

Foreign medical graduate performance--a review

Numerous factors have adversely influenced appraisals of the competence of foreign medical graduates. The statistical design of some comparative studies has been weak. Language and cultural backgrounds of foreign graduates have varied. Foreign physicians who have complete school at various times in the past have been graded according to a test designed to be taken during the fourth year of American medical schools. Licensing examinations and grading have varied from state to state. To reach reliable conclusions, matched samples of adequate size must be studied under controlled conditions.

Report of G.M.C. inquiry

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