Requirements For US Residency Training Programs Part I
Residency is one of the critical requirements in order for doctors to practice medicine in the United States. It is a mandatory step and is done upon completion of medical school. You need to get licensed in the state you plan to practice. Each state has its own separate rules and regulations but they all have similar requirements to get a temporary license for residency and a permanent license when you have completed residency and become state board-eligible. Therefore it is important to know what the minimum requirements are in order to interview at hospitals in each state.
First, you must confirm you have graduated from or about to graduate from an accredited medical school. Be able to supply a copy of your degree and/or transcript. There are various accrediting agencies, such as the World Health Organization, so make sure that your school is on one of the required lists for your prospective residency program.
Second, you should know if you are eligible to practice medicine in the state for which you are applying for residency. This is a pertinent fact that should be verified prior to applying to residency. You can go to the Federal State of Medical Boards website (http://fsmb.org/policy/public-resources/state_specific) to check if you should eligible. The chart shown explains the limit of attempts it should take to pass the USMLE Steps for each state in order to practice medicine. Medical boards also consider the amount of years it took to complete your USMLE Steps 1, 2 Clinical Knowledge, and 2 Clinical Skills.
Another factor to consider is your USMLE status. Every hospital requires that you have passed your USMLE Step 1 prior to applying to residency. Some hospitals allow US medical students to have applied for their USMLE Steps 2 Clinical Knowledge and 2 Clinical Skills prior to applying for residency and definitely to have passed them before the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) has its deadline for Match submission. If you are a foreign medical student or graduate, your USMLE Step 1 and both parts of Step 2 must be passed with proof in the form of an ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) Certification prior to applying for residency. If you have not yet taken any of the Steps and or need to take them click here: teach me the steps.
USMLE scores and attempts are mandatory components to some residency programs. They may only consider students with no failures on any USMLE Step or scores above the 90th percentile. So make sure you know the standards for each hospital program to which you apply.