ECFMG Announces Additional Information on Pathway 6
Posted July 1st, 2021 by Dennis Abramson.
Today, ECFMG released additional information on applying for Temporary ECFMG Certification through Pathway 6. As previously reported in this blog on May 3, 2021, the 2022 Pathways to ECFMG Certification were developed after the USMLE Program’s permanent discontinuance of the Step 2 CS examination in mind. The new pathways permit IMGs who did not qualify under any of the 2021 Pathways additional opportunities to obtain ECFMG Certification.
The new information pertains to the Mini-CEX examination, and includes criteria for both physician evaluators and for the clinical encounters themselves. (As previously reported, to meet the requirements for Pathway 6, the applicant’s clinical skills must be evaluated by licensed physicians using ECFMG’s Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX).) Per its recent announcement, the Pathway 6 application process will open in August 2021, and the application fee is set at $900.00. To meet the Mini-CEX criteria for Pathway 6, examinees must, among other things, complete six (6) observed clinical encounters, which must include all of the following criteria:
- Be a real, in-person clinical encounter. Telemedicine and standardized patient encounters will not be accepted.
- Take place in a formal clinical setting such as an outpatient office, an urgent care clinic, an emergency room, or a hospital.
- Be primary care/general practice in nature and not subspecialized.
- Focus on the diagnosis and treatment of acute and/or chronic illnesses in a primary care setting, such as general internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, or obstetrics and gynecology, in which each of the four components of the Mini-CEX (Medical Interviewing Skills, Physical Examination Skills, Professionalism/Communication Skills, Clinical Reasoning & Judgment) can be assessed.
- Occur after you apply to Pathway 6. Do not complete your clinical encounters before you apply to Pathway 6.
All 6 clinical encounters must be completed by no later than December 31, 2021, but IMGs seeking the best chance to successfully Match in the 2022 Main Residency Match would be well advised to complete all Pathway 6 clinical encounters well in advance of the deadline.
If you find yourself in need legal assistance when navigating the new pathways, or with any ECFMG, USMLE, or NRMP related matter, our experienced attorneys stand ready to assist.
