ecfmg & faimer partnering to improve health care ... · 28 copyright © 2017 by ecfmg. all...

ECFMG® & FAIMER®: Partnering to Improve Health Care

Association of Medical Councils of AfricaAugust 22, 2017

William W. Pinsky, MD FAAP FACCPresident & CEO, ECFMG

Chair, Board of Directors, FAIMER

Copyright © 2017 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved. 1

Copyright © 2017 by ECFMG. All rights reserved.2

Today’s Topics

• About ECFMG

• About FAIMER

• Physicians Crossing Borders: Issues & Resources

• Questions


About the Educational Commissionfor Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)


About ECFMG

• Established in 1956

• Non-profit, non-governmental organization

• Members = major U.S. organizations responsible for medical education, training, and regulation

• Based in Philadelphia, U.S.

• 350 full-time employees


About ECFMG

Mission includes promoting quality health care and medical education worldwide.

As part of this mission, ECFMG partners with the world’s medical regulatory authorities to protect the public through services such as primary-source verification of physician credentials.


About ECFMG

Areas of Expertise:• Physician credentials• Primary-source verifying medical credentials• U.S. immigration issues impacting physicians Programs for:• Physicians entering U.S. graduate medical

education• Medical regulatory authorities requiring

primary-source verification


About the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical

Education and Research (FAIMER)


About FAIMER

• Non-profit foundation of ECFMG• Enhances world health through educationo Trains health professions educatorso Conducts researcho Builds data resources on medical education

FAIMER, with the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), maintains the World

Directory of Medical Schools, a free resource on more than 3,000 medical schools worldwide


Physicians Crossing Borders:

Issues & Resources


Medicine and medical education are becoming increasingly globalized

• Migration of students for medical education

• Migration of physicians to:

o Fill demand for health care providers

o Escape conflict situations

• Medical tourism and volunteerism


There is a need to ensure that physicians crossing borders are qualified.

No cost, primary-source verification of medical credentials for the world’s medical regulatory authorities


• Web-based platform for primary-source verification (PSV) of physician credentials

• Brings ECFMG’s PSV expertise to organizations AND physicians worldwide

• Offered at no cost to medical regulatory authorities


Current medical regulatory clients:• 11 medical regulatory authorities

worldwideo Africa, Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, Europe,

United States• In discussions with several additional

international medical regulatory authorities


ECFMG’s EPIC experts are at AMCOA!

Please visit ECFMG’s table to learn more.


There is a greater need for international perspectives in medical education.

A program to facilitate educational exchange in medicine and other health professions


• Supports exchanges at global and regional levels

• Web-based system for applications and program management

• A network of participating institutions means more exchange opportunities for many students

• No cost to students


Partnering with networks in Africa:

African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth)—Student exchanges in medicine and nursing, 12 institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe


College of Ophthalmology of Eastern Central and Southern Africa (COECSA)—Postgraduate ophthalmology resident exchanges, 5 institutions in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia

Eastern Africa Health Professions Educators’ Association (EAHPEA) —Student exchanges in health professions education, 5 institutions in Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda


There is a need to ensure quality in medical education worldwide.

• FAIMER Education Programs

• ECFMG Medical School Accreditation Initiative


FAIMER Education Programs

Approach

• Develop effective model

• Partner with educators to share model

• Create opportunities for local experts to adapt, apply, and share knowledge


FAIMER Education Programs

• For health professions educators

• Regional Institutes and Education Centers catalyze and sustain local curricular improvement

• Distance Learning in accreditation and assessment, in partnership with Keele University and CenMEDIC in UK

• Fellowships to earn master’s degrees in health professions education

• Alignment of educational programs to create pathways for development of outstanding leaders


FAIMER in Africa

• FAIMER Regional Instituteo Began in 2001 in Philadelphia, U.S.o Has trained 79 health professions educators

from 15 African countries• Sub-Saharan Africa-FAIMER Regional Instituteo Began in 2008 in Cape Town, South Africao Partnership between FAIMER and non-profit

company incorporated in South Africao Has trained 160 health professions

educators from 17 African countries


ECFMG Medical School Accreditation Initiative

In 2010, ECFMG’s Board of Trustees decided

that, beginning in 2023, to be eligible for

ECFMG Certification applicants must graduate

from a medical school that has been

“appropriately accredited.”

ECFMG Certification is required to enter U.S.

graduate medical education and to obtain a

U.S. medical license.



ECFMG has determined that a medical school

is appropriately accredited if the school has

been accredited by an agency that is

recognized by WFME through WFME’s

Programme for Recognition of Accrediting

Agencies.



“Recognizing the Accreditors”

• WFME recognizes accrediting agency

• Accrediting agency accredits medical school

• Graduates of medical school meet ECFMG’s accreditation requirement



Goals:

• Catalyze international accreditation efforts

• Develop universally accepted standards for evaluating undergraduate medical education internationally

• Enhance quality of medical education

• Protect the public



WFME recognition status:

• 6 accrediting agencies recognized

• 17 accrediting agencies in process/in discussions with WFME

• 10 accrediting agencies in discussions with WFME but with more distant plans


Information

www.ecfmg.org | www.ecfmgepic.org

Contact

[email protected]

ecfmg & faimer partnering to improve health care ... · 28 copyright © 2017 by ecfmg. all...

Documents