Proper interpretation of the results of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) is important for program directors, residents, and faculty who advise applicants about applying for residency positions. We suspected that applicants often misinterpreted their performance in relationship to others who took the same examination. In 2005, 54…

While checklists are often used to score standardized patient based clinical assessments, little research has focused on issues related to their development or the level of agreement with respect to the importance of specific items. Five physicians independently reviewed checklists from 11 simulation scenarios that were part of the former…

The ECFMG[R] Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA[R]) was developed to evaluate whether graduates of international medical schools are ready to enter graduate training programs in the United States. The performance-based patient note exercise is specifically used to assess an examinee's ability to summarize, synthesize and interpret the data collected…

Describes and evaluates academic problems of international medical graduates (IMGs) within one community-based residency program. Suggests that many problems may be caused by difficulty with English, differences in medical education, length of time since previous training, different life stage, or cultural differences in beliefs about…

A study of the use of the Medical Education Evaluation Program, established by Ohio to evaluate clinical competencies of medical graduates of non-accredited schools, found the test to meet psychometric standards of certifying and licensing examinations. Potential problems with the test are discussed. (MSE)

A 1990 study of domain-referenced scores from a multiple-station clinical examination for foreign medical graduates investigated identification of essential checklist items, setting of minimum passing scores, consistency of candidate classification, and perceived appropriateness of the number of candidates classified as competent. Results and…

The performance of foreign medical school graduates on multistation standardized patient-based tests was used to determine the validity and generalizability of global ratings of their clinical competence made by expert examiners. Results suggest that these ratings can be used as an effective form of assessment in this context. (Author/MSE)

Objective: The author sought to develop a curriculum for international medical graduate (IMG) psychiatry residents that addresses their culture-based deviations from normative boundary-keeping practices common to U.S.-based psychotherapy practices. Methods: A group consisting of 12 IMG psychiatry residents and one United States graduate (USG)…

Past and current impacts of the supply of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) on the total physician supply and on the availability of physician services are reviewed, and the possible future role of FMGs is forecasted. The relationship of the levels and changes in FMG supply to legislative decisions of the past three decades is also addressed, with…

A study supported use of the objective structured clinical examination for screening foreign medical graduates (n=67) wishing to enter a preinternship program in at the University of Toronto. However, it also showed that appropriate training for the candidates was the internship, not preinternship, program. (MSE)

A study investigated observable differences in results, not attributable to student competence, in administrations of the same 16-station clinical skills screening examination (Ontario International Medical Graduates Program) to approximately 200 foreign medical graduates and University of Toronto fourth-year medical students. Results indicated…

Results of evaluating U.S. exchange programs for foreign medical graduates (FMGs) are presented. After reviewing the roles of sponsors of exchange visitor programs and identifying specific sponsors, attention is directed to entry patterns of exchange visitor physicians, and the value of these programs to both home countries and the United States.…

The adoption of improved evaluation methods is advocated to ensure that graduates from schools not accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education have knowledge and skills that approach equivalency to those of U.S. domestic graduates. (MLW)

A study found that trained standardized patients could provide a reliable assessment of English proficiency of foreign medical graduates by comparison with a standardized language test, but further research is needed to determine whether it is necessary to provide a clinical context for language assessment. (MSE)

Fifty Peruvian physicians who decided to remain in the United States after postgraduate training disclose professional, economic and familial reasons for their decision. Fears of being unable to obtain a position that is professionally stimulating and that pays enough to support the family dominate the decision. (LC)