APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES: VERIFICATION OF CREDENTIALS BY EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION FOR FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES (ECFMG)
International medical graduates (IMG) must meet several requirements before they can join MSF’s Canadian International Mobile Staff Talent Pool and join our global teams. IMG are generally described as individuals who have completed medical school outside of Canada. Canadians studying abroad, Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have completed medical school outside of Canada are also considered IMGs.
MSF Canada has partnered with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’ (ECFMG) to verify medical credentials of IMGs, using the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC). If you are a successful candidate, our recruitment team will guide you through the verification process. The process itself is not complicated but you do need to know what is expected of you. This section covers the ECFMG online verification process in broad terms.
To be eligible for verification, your medical school needs to be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. See www.wdoms.org. ECFMG maintains information on medical schools around the world, including verification authorities for medical schools that are no longer operational and even those in regions marked by conflict. If it has not been possible for ECFMG to verify your credentials after four attempts at contacting the issuing institution, they will inform you of alternatives.
Currently, the following three documents are required to be verified via EPIC in support of an application to MSF Canada:
- Medical diploma
- Specialty certificate(s), if applicable i.e. an official document confirming you have obtained certification as a specialist in a particular branch of medicine
- Letter or Certificate of Good Standing (CGS)
- A Letter or Certificate of Good Standing from a licensing authority or a medical association from your country of graduation or practice location (i.e., an official document issued by a medical regulatory authority confirming your registration and license status, registration and fitness to practice history, including any conditions, warnings or restrictions on your registration)
For every credential uploaded to EPIC, ECFMG uses its established process to “primary source verify” the credential directly with the issuing institution. Primary source verification is a multi-step process ECFMG employs to ensure the integrity and authenticity of your credentials. The process is not complete until ECFMG receives and accepts verification of these credentials directly from the issuing institution. Once a credential has been verified, it will become part of your secure EPIC portfolio and a verification report will be sent to us.
If your medical or specialty diploma(s) have been previously verified by ECFMG, the previously verified diplomas will be added to your EPIC account associated with MSF Canada at no cost.
The time required to complete the verification process depends on a number of factors, including the time it takes for the issuing institution to respond to the verification requests. All expenses associated with the verification process will be paid by MSF Canada.
If you were successful in the interview process, our recruitment team will guide you through the verification process.
Please visit https://www.ecfmg.org/ for more information.