Sunday, October 16, 2011

U.S Residency Process: Time for Change

About two weeks ago, I wrote about the residency process within the US graduate medical education and suggested an alternative General Practice/Primary Care Pathway to decongest the system and utilize the vast number of IMGs stuck in the system. I would like to inform readers that I have presented the residency issue to President Obama and my constituency Congressman, Dianne Black. I have also written the Letters Editor, New York Times. I believe setting graduation year cut offs by residency programs in the absence of a lack of such by ECFMG which runs the certification exams and ERAS which runs the yearly residency application process, is not the right thing to do. It is discrimination and cannot be allowed to continue in a liberal polity such as ours in the United States. It is not right to be denied an opportunity despite meeting the requirements for such, otherwise the ECFMG, ERAS and NRMP are deceptive and fraudulent in their operations for financial gains from IMGs. Last week, a program denied me an interview opportunity on year of graduation despite my passing the Step 3 examination and currently in my final year at an MPH program. I have been informed of friends who have had to exit the system because of this problem.This  oppression must stop.
If IMGs are being discriminated against, why allow them to sit for the required exams?

Sometime ago, only IMGs were required to take the USMLE exams until an Asian physician fought and won the case, which set both the U.S trained and IMGs at par, requiring the locally trained to also take the same examination. I wish to use this medium to request for your support in whatever way you can. I would appreciate should you know an IMG that has been so discriminated against, to contact me via email-ema.ukoabasi@aol.com.Thank you.


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