February 12, 2019
A Look at Actively Licensed IMG Physicians in the United States
International medical graduates (IMGs) play an important role in U.S. health care. A recent report published by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) includes data on the top countries and medical schools of actively licensed physicians in the United States. Here’s a closer look at the data related to IMGs:
According to FSMB 2017 data, there were a total of 970,090 actively licensed physicians in the United States. IMGs made up 219,685 (22.6%) of that total.
Among the 219,685 actively licensed IMG physicians, the greatest percentage graduated from the following countries:
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India (49,901 or 23%) |
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Caribbean (38,686 or 18%) |
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Philippines (12,983 or 6%) |
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Pakistan (12,772 or 6%) |
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Mexico (10,092 or 5%) |
The number of actively licensed U.S. citizen graduates from Caribbean medical schools continued to climb. About 61% of the licensed IMGs from Caribbean medical schools were U.S. citizens. That’s an increase of 73% since 2012.
Ten medical schools outside the United States and Canada accounted for 21% of IMGs that have an active license to practice medicine in the United States.
To learn more, go to the U.S. Medical Regulatory Trends and Actions 2018 report published by the FSMB.
American Academy of Family Physicians Membership for IMGs
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) offers a variety of membership categories for new physicians, residents, students, transitional members, and others. Membership benefits include access to family medicine resources, as well as networking and leadership opportunities.
Of special interest to IMGs is the transitional membership category, which is available to all medical graduates who are not yet in a residency program. Membership in this category is valid until December 31st of the second full calendar year following the year in which the member graduated from medical school, or when the member enrolls in an ACGME- or AOA-approved residency. See the 2019 member dues.
Student membership is FREE for international medical students enrolled in a medical school that is listed as operational in the then-current edition of the World Directory of Medical Schools.
Invitation to Participate in Research about Refugee Physicians
Researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia are conducting a study called “Refugee Physicians in the United States: Barriers, Resources, and Pathways to Practice.” The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences of refugee physicians in the United States, to describe the pathways they take after their arrival, and to understand how they navigate the U.S. system of medical licensure and practice. This is the first systematic study of the barriers faced by refugee physicians, the resources available to them, and the potential for this population to contribute to the health and wellbeing of all people living in the United States.
Drexel’s Professor Susan Bell, PhD, and her Drexel colleague, Lily Walkover, PhD, are recruiting immigrants for this study who:
- Identify themselves as a refugee, asylee, or asylum seeker
- Were educated and/or trained as a physician in a country other than the United States
- Are living in the United States
If you meet all of these criteria, the researchers are interested in learning about your experiences being educated and/or trained in medicine in another country, coming to the United States as a refugee, and your career pathway since arriving in the United States. The researchers are interested in speaking with refugee physicians who have taken different career paths or who are not currently employed, including those not working in health fields in the United States, those working in health fields but not as physicians, those in the process of recertifying to practice, and people currently practicing as physicians.
Participation will involve an interview conducted in person if possible, at a location that is convenient for you. If the interviewer cannot travel to the area in which you reside, a video or phone call will be scheduled. Initial interviews will last approximately 90 minutes, and a follow-up interview may be scheduled if necessary. No part of the interviews will be shared with the staff or board of directors of Drexel University. All potentially identifying information will be deleted from study records and data as soon as the interviews are transcribed.
Additionally, although ECFMG is sharing information about this study with international medical students and graduates, ECFMG has no role in conducting the study and will not receive any information on study participants or the content of their interviews.
Finally, the researchers would like to remind you that participating in research is always voluntary.
If you are interested in participating in this study or have questions, please e-mail Dr. Bell ([email protected]) or Dr. Walkover ([email protected]).
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In the News |
A collection of news articles you may find of interest:
4 medical specialties among the friendliest for IMG PGY-1 matches
AMA Wire, by Brendan Murphy, December 31, 2018
Fil-Am surgeon part of medical history
Filipino Reporter, by Special to the Filipino Reporter, December 14, 2018
