INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

ECFMG Reports on IMG Participation Levels in Annual Resident Matching Program

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) has reported that the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) participating in the 2015 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for first-year residency declined slightly from 2014. The annual NRMP Match is the system by which applicants are matched with available residency positions in U.S. graduate medical education (GME) programs.

Compared to 2014, the number of IMGs who participated in the NRMP decreased by 95, and the number of IMGs who matched to first-year residency positions decreased by 55. Of the 12,387 IMGs who participated in the 2015 NRMP, 6,302 (50.9%) matched into residency programs.

In the 2014 NRMP, 6,357 (50.9%) IMGs were matched to first-year positions. For the 13th consecutive year, the number of first-year (PGY-1) residency positions offered through the NRMP Main Residency Match® increased. A total of 27,293 first-year positions were offered in the 2015 NRMP. This represents an increase of 615 positions compared to last year and an increase of more than 6,600 positions since 2002.

OF THE 12,387 IMGS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE 2015 NRMP, 6,302 (50.9%) MATCHED INTO RESIDENCY PROGRAMS.

Of the 7,366 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,641 (49.4%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions in 2015 increased for the fourth year in a row.

Of the 5,014 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 2,660 (53.1%) were matched to first-year positions, a decrease of 62 from last year. This decrease marks an end to 11 consecutive years of increases in the number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions.

Participants in the NRMP submit a list of residency programs they would like to enter, in order of preference. Ranked lists of preferred residency candidates are likewise submitted by U.S. GME programs with available positions. The matching of applicants to available positions is performed by computer algorithm. The Match results announced in March of each year are for GME programs that typically begin the following July.

Source: The ECFMG Reporter, Issue 238, March 27, 2015

AEME Will Host 2016 Conference in Pakistan

The Association for Excellence in Medical Education (AEME) will host its 2016 annual Medical Education Conference March 4–6, 2016 at Khyber Medical University in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Titled “Standardizing Medical Education in Pakistan: A National Agenda,” the conference will feature a wide range of accredited educational programming on topics of interest to health care educational policy makers with an international focus.

Among the topics to be offered will be assessment, curriculum development, trends in teaching and learning, use of technology in education, continuous professional development, and trends in globalization.

To register for the event or learn more, please visit www.ae-me.org/index.php.

Source: AEME website, June 29, 2015

Medical Board of Australia Commissions Research on Revalidation

The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) has commissioned new international research into the concept of revalidation, which creates systems aimed at ensuring physicians keep their skills up to date throughout their professional careers.

“We started a conversation about revalidation in Australia in 2012 as part of our commitment to making sure doctors in Australia maintain the skills to provide safe and ethical care to patients throughout their working lives,” said Medical Board of Australia Chair Joanna Flynn, AM.

“Commissioning this research will help make sure that the decisions the Board makes in the future about revalidation are effective, evidence-based and practical,” Dr Flynn said.

According to the MBA, estimates generated by research suggest that more than 1,350 medical practitioners in Australia could be performing at an unsatisfactory level.

The Board announced a long-term focus on revalidation in December 2012. Since then, the Board has held forums and worked with the Australian Medical Association (AMA) to explore options for how a revalidation system in Australia could evolve.

Currently in Australia, registered medical practitioners must meet the Board's mandatory registration standards, including standards for continuing professional development. Practitioners are subject to random audit of their compliance with these standards.

“International regulators have put in place a range of structured processes to make sure practitioners provide safe and ethical care long after they graduate. We have commissioned this research to find out what is working well internationally, what is in place in comparable health care systems, and what principles the Board should consider in developing revalidation in Australia,” Dr Flynn said.

The Board has commissioned the Collaboration for the Advancement of Medical Education, Research and Assessment (CAMERA) at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (UK) to conduct the research.

CAMERA has conducted a series of studies about medical regulation, including revalidation for the UK General Medical Council, the Medical Council of Ireland, the NHS Revalidation Support Team, the Health Foundation, and the National Institute for Health Research.

Source: Medical Board of Australia news release, March 24, 2015

Employers in UK urged to create conditions which encourage doctors, nurses and midwives to admit mistakes

When things go wrong, patients should expect a face to face explanation and apology from doctors, nurses and midwives, according to new guidelines from the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the United Kingdom.

The new guidelines, available at the GMC's website, set out the standards expected of all physicians, nurses and midwives practicing in the UK. It also aims to help patients understand what to expect from healthcare professionals.

Under the new guidance physicians, nurses and midwives should:

• Speak to a patient, or those close to them, as soon as possible after they realize something has gone wrong with their care.

• Apologize to the patient, explaining what happened, what can be done if they have suffered harm and what will be done to prevent someone else being harmed in the future.

• Use their professional judgment about whether to inform patients about near misses — incidents which have the potential to result in harm but do not.

• Report errors at an early stage so that lessons can be learned quickly, and patients are protected from harm in the future.

• Not try to prevent colleagues or former colleagues from raising concerns about patient safety, and ensure that if people do raise concerns they are protected from unfair criticism, detriment or dismissal.

To view the guidelines, visit www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/27233.asp.

Source: General Medical Council news release, June 29, 2015