You are a beautiful Russian girl, recently married, and a medical
doctor. You are due to arrive in USA in August. How do you achieve
American certification? Please answer in simple sentence that assume
no prior knowledge! :)

Dear jimbaen,

I have searched the websites of the relevant medical organizations and
found information regarding the question: What must a foreign
physician do to get a license to practice in the United States?

The brief answer consists of these steps:

1. Pass the tests to get an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical
Graduates (ECFMG) certification.

2. Undertake residency training.

3. Pass the 3rd and final exam of the United States Medical Licensing
Examination (USMLE).

4. Apply for a license to practice in a particular state.

The complete process is a bit complex. I tried to summarize its most
important points in words as plain as possible:


International Medical School Graduates (IMGs) who wish to be certified
as physicians in the USA must pass a program of evaluation,
examination, and certification of the Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). ECFMG certification provides an
assurance that IMGs have met the minimum standards, including
proficiency in English, required to enter the following residency
training programs.

To be certified by ECFMG, IMGs must pass a series of exams; they must
also provide copies of their medical diplomas, which ECFMG will verify
directly with their medical schools. The certification process begins
when they submit their first application for examination to ECFMG.

Once they have achieved ECFMG certification, IMGs can enter training
programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education (ACGME). All IMGs must undertake residency training in the
United States before they can obtain a license to practice medicine in
the United States even if they were fully trained, licensed, and
practicing in another country.

IMGs must also be certified by ECFMG if they wish to take Step 3 of
the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
Passing this examination is required to obtain a license to practice
medicine in a US state. In the United States the individual medical
licensing authorities ("state medical boards") of the various states
grant a license to practice medicine. Each medical licensing authority
sets its own rules and regulations and requires passing an examination
that demonstrates qualification for licensure. Results of the USMLE
are reported to these authorities for use in granting the initial
license to practice medicine. Because the individual medical licensing
authorities make decisions regarding use of USMLE results, IMGs should
contact the jurisdiction where they intend to apply for licensure to
obtain complete information.


Step-by-step information and instructions on how to apply for and
obtain ECFMG certification, as well as important additional materials
and forms, can be found on the ECFMG website:
http://www.ecfmg.org/cert/index.html

In case you have specific questions not covered or not explained
clearly on their website, here is contact information for the ECFMG:

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
Applicant Information Services
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2685
--
Phone: (215) 386-5900
Fax: (215) 386-9196
E-Mail: info@ecfmg.org
Website: http://www.ecfmg.org/


Information on the ACGME-accredited residency training programs
necessary for obtaining a license to practice medicine is available on
the ACGME website:
http://www.acgme.org/

Here is full contact information for the ACGME:

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Suite 2000
515 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60610-4322 
--
Phone: (312) 755-5000 
Fax: (312) 755-7498


The USMLE, whose examination for medical licensure is necessary for
obtaining a license to practice medicine, also offer information on
their website:
http://www.usmle.org/bulletin/2004/TOC.htm

Here is full contact information for the USLME:

USMLE Secretariat
3750 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3190
--
Phone: (215) 590-9700
E-Mail: webmail@nbme.org
Website: http://www.usmle.org/


For basic instructions on how to get a license to practice medicine in
a state of the USA, please read this introduction provided by the
American Medical Association (AMA):
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2644.html

The AMA also provides an overview of the steps foreign physicians have
to take if they wish to be allowed to practice in the United States:
http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/physcred.html#foreign


I hope that this is what you needed to know!
Best regards,
Scriptor

Thanks for your good answer to a hard question. I apologize for my
lateness in responding; my computer went insane over security issues
and I have just now got it   working again. Now, _have I paid you_ for
this? Unless it happens automatically when I rate the answer, I don't
suppose I have. Please inform the authoritiess that I very much want
to!
Best wishes,
Jim Baen