Emigration of foreign doctors in the United States

17. September 2019.

Landing a job in America is very complicated, especially for healthcare professionals. In the US, much is being held up to the evolution of the health care system and education, and all practitioners coming from foreign countries are required to undergo the process of further training and equalization of education with the US.

To gain a job in the US, you need to:
• Be fluent in English, so IELTS or TOEFL is required
• Equalize your diplomas of up to 5 years + passing required exams in English
• Request an employer to help you with obtaining a J1 or H-1B work visa, while permanent employment requires 5 years in the United States to be eligible for U.S. citizenship and passport

In order for a doctor who graduated outside of the United States to work in the business within the United States, they must undergo the certification process performed by the ECFMG. To receive ECFMG certification, a physician must pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), which is mandatory for anyone wishing to practice medicine in the United States, whether they have completed their studies within or in an entirely different country.

The USMLE consists of 3 steps:

  1. Multiple-choice exam (a combination of different clinical scenarios that test subjects’ knowledge)
  2. Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS) exams that test the understanding of clinical sciences and clinical skills which are considered essential to the care of patients under the supervision
  3. A multiple-choice exam that tests the knowledge and abilities of physicians to care for unsupervised patients, with an emphasis on the management of patients in outpatient surroundings

Once you pass the USMLE exams and receive ECFMG certification, you can apply for a job in the US. A large number of hospitals are ready to assist you with obtaining a J1 visa during the US specialization stage, which is mandatory because they do not have GPs.

The testing process and the oftentimes duplicate specialization process that these doctors must experience are intended to ensure that they meet the high-quality standards of this country, which the US medical industry says are incomparable to others in the world, although many foreign doctors and their advocates say the procedure is unnecessary and long-lasting. No matter how experienced and well-trained a doctor is, you have to go through the whole process before getting a license.

This process can be greatly facilitated and accelerated if you have 5 years of work experience in the UK or Ireland and have applied and obtained their citizenship. This skips the step of taking the language tests, leveling the diploma and the need to translate official documentation.
After that, you have to pass the USMLE exam and find a specialization through J1 visa during which you gain work experience in the USA, and after completing the specialization with the help of a letter of recommendation from a US doctor, the possibility for permanent employment in the USA is finally revealed for you.

If you are interested in more information or would like to advance to the US via Ireland and the UK route, feel free to contact us at:

Email: info@incor.hr
Facebook: @incordoo

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