Australia
AMC and ECFMG to Sunset Outstanding EICS Verification Requests
The Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) are reaching out to relevant international medical graduates (IMGs) to advise that, effective July 1, 2017, the AMC will no longer accept verification of medical credentials (qualifications) through ECFMG International Credentials Services (EICS) in support of an application to the AMC.
ECFMG and the AMC recommend that IMGs contact the institution that issued their credential directly to request that they respond to ECFMG's request for verification as soon as possible before June 30, 2017. The AMC will not accept verifications through EICS after this date.
Beginning July 1, 2017, if IMGs have credentials that still have not been verified through EICS, and wish to continue pursuing verification in support of an application to the AMC, they will need to use ECFMG's web-based Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC).
In addition to using EPIC for verification of their credentials, beginning July 1, 2017, to apply to the AMC, IMGs will be required to establish an AMC portfolio with the full fee payable.
For more information on EPIC, including additional benefits not available through EICS, please visit the ECFMG EPIC website, at www.ecfmgepic.org, or contact ECFMG at [email protected].
Source: AMC website, accessed March 28, 2017
New AMC Book Helps Define Professionalism and Requirements for Being a Physician
The Australian Medical Council has launched a new publication titled “Good Medical Practice — Professionalism, Ethics and Law” that is intended to provide, in a single source, information central to the professional, ethical and legal requirements of being a physician. It covers a core curriculum for medical students, doctors in training and international medical graduates coming to work in Australia.
Among the topics covered in the book are challenges posed by the use of electronic communication, the internet and social media, patient safety, adverse events and end-of-life care.
In a news release, the AMC said that “Good Medical Practice — Professionalism, Ethics and Law” is “an ideal core textbook for medical students, doctors in training and is recommended reading for candidates undertaking the AMC examination process. It will also serve as a reference book for doctors in independent clinical practice and as a guide to medical regulators and lawyers, doctors, and community members who serve on performance and conduct panels and tribunals.”
To learn more about the book contact [email protected].
Source: AMC news release, Dec. 20, 2016
Canada
FMRAC to Host Major Opioid Prescribing Conference in June
The Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, an umbrella organization representing regulatory agencies in Canada, will host its Annual Educational Conference June 11–12, 2017, in Winnepeg, Manitoba, themed “The Regulation of Opioid Prescribing: Turning Our Minds to Collaborative Solutions.”
To be held at the Winnipeg's Fairmont Hotel, the conference will be organized in three sessions, each touching on key aspects and components of opioid prescribing.
Session I, to be held Sunday, June 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will be titled “A Pan-Canadian Regulatory Framework on Appropriate Opioid Prescribing” and will include:
Dr. David Juurlink, keynote speaker: “Safe Prescribing of Opioids — How Did We Get Here, What Do We Do Next? What Should be the Role of the Medical Regulatory Authorities?”
“Updated Canadian Guidelines for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain and The Role of the Medical Regulators”
Panel Discussion: “Should Medical Regulators Aspire to Pan-Canadian Minimum Standards and Recommendations? What Should Be the Key Parameters?”
Session II, to be held June 11, will be titled “Practical Strategies for the Medical Regulatory Authorities” and will include:
Breakout Working Groups: “Key Elements of a Pan-Canadian Framework for Medical Regulators”
“Evidence-Based Interventions: What Works and What Doesn't — Takeaways for the MRAs”
“Prescription Monitoring Initiatives — Innovations, Outcomes, Do's & Don'ts”
Session III, to be held Monday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to noon, will be titled “Collaborative Approaches and Physician Support: What Can MRAs Consider?” and will include:
“The Opioid Crisis: Taking a Systems Approach — A Public Health Perspective”
Panel Discussion: “How Can Inter-professional Approaches Help?”
Panel Discussion: “Practical Supports for Physicians & Patients — What Do We Have Now, What is Needed?”
To learn more about the conference or to register, please contact Catherine Tattrie at [email protected] or visit http://fmrac.ca/amc-home.
Source: FMRAC website, March 30, 2017
ECFMG
ECFMG Announces Match Results for International Medical Graduates
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) recently announced international results of the annual National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) — which matches applicants with available residency positions in U.S. graduate medical education (GME) programs.
For the 15th consecutive year, the number of first-year (PGY-1) residency positions offered through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match increased. A total of 28,849 first-year positions were offered in the 2017 Match. This represents an increase of 989 positions compared to last year and an increase of more than 8,200 positions since 2002.
Compared to 2016, the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) who participated in the Match decreased by 435. While the number of IMGs who matched to first-year positions decreased by 47, the percentage of IMGs who matched increased.
Of the 12,355 IMGs who participated in the 2017 Match, 6,591 (53.3%) matched. In the 2016 Match, 6,638 (51.9%) IMGs were matched to first-year positions.
Of the 7,284 IMG participants who were not U.S. citizens, 3,814 (52.4%) obtained first-year positions. The number of non-U.S. citizen IMGs who obtained positions increased in 2017 for the sixth year in a row, this year by 45.
Of the 5,069 U.S. citizen IMG participants, 2,777 (54.8%) were matched to first-year positions, a decrease of 92 from last year. The number of U.S. citizen IMGs matching to first-year positions has increased in 12 of the last 14 Matches.
Applicants seeking entry into U.S. residency programs submit to the NRMP a list of programs of interest, 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: ECFMG news release, March 28, 2017
IAMRA
Dates for Upcoming IAMRA Special Events Announced
The International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) has announced the dates for its next major symposium and biennial conference:
2017 IAMRA Continued Competency Symposium
The 2017 IAMRA Continued Competency Symposium will be held in London, United Kingdom, October 5–6, 2017. The Symposium will be hosted by the General Medical Council. The theme of the symposium is Continued Competence Systems — Measuring their Impact and Value.
2018 IAMRA Conference
The 2018 IAMRA Conference will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates October 6–9, 2018 and will be hosted in partnership with Dubai Health Authority.
More information about both of these events will be posted at IAMRA's website as it becomes available.
Source: IAMRA website, December 16, 2016
American Health Care Associations Join IAMRA
IAMRA's newest members — in the Partner category — are the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association.
IAMRA currently has 110 member organizations, from 47 countries. The largest contingent of organizations is from the United States, with 26 members represented; followed by Canada, with 8; the United Kingdom, with 7; Pakistan, with 6; and Australia, with 5.
Source: IAMRA website, March 30, 2017
IAMRA Members Mourn Loss of Chair-elect Mungherera
IAMRA has announced that its Chair-elect, Dr. Margaret Mungherera of Uganda, 59, has died of cancer. She had been receiving treatment in India, according to the Uganda Medical Association.
Dr. Mungherera was until 2014 the President of the World Medical Association, where she gained attention for leading policy initiatives to promote high ethical standards for medicine globally and for championing the human rights of patients and physicians.
She previously served as President of the Uganda Medical Association and had been a board member of many health organizations. She was also a founder member of Uganda Women Medical Doctors Association. She was the first woman in Uganda to be elected President of the Uganda Medical Association in 1998 and again in 2010.
DR. MUNGHERERA WAS POISED TO TAKE OVER LEADERSHIP IN 2018 OF IAMRA.
Dr. Mungherera was poised to take over leadership in 2018 of IAMRA, to which she was elected last year in Melbourne, Australia.
Source: IAMRA website, March 30, 2017
IAMRA Adopts Formal Statement Promoting Standards for the Use of Accreditation for Medical Education
IAMRA has adopted a formal policy that defines a global framework for accreditation in medical education and encourages its members to “utilize accreditation systems to ensure the provision of high quality medical education, identify inadequate medical education programs, assist education providers to improve the quality of their programs and ultimately, protect patients.”
The new policy is part of a strategic effort by IAMRA to help health systems globally achieve high standards for the education of physicians through appropriate accreditation processes.
Worldwide, there has been a rapid expansion in the number of medical education programs, increasing diversity in the bodies offering these programs and innovations in the way programs are delivered. Medical education is provided in both the government and private sectors and there is potential for the quality of the programs to vary considerably, even within a country. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 medical schools around the world, with varying standards and processes. The number of new medical schools is increasing at a rate of approximately 5% to 10% per year.
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE NEARLY 3,000 MEDICAL SCHOOLS AROUND THE WORLD, WITH VARYING STANDARDS AND PROCESSES.
Internationally, there are currently three main models for ensuring the quality of medical graduates:
Accrediting medical education programs to ensure that they and their graduates meet an appropriate standard
Requiring new graduates to sit a licensing examination
A hybrid of the first two models
Some countries already have well-established accreditation and approval programs, while other countries utilize licensing examinations alone to determine new graduates' fitness to practice.
The IAMRA policy on accreditation provides guidelines for establishing a framework for accreditation and best practices and standards for accrediting bodies to bring more consistency and higher standards of quality to medical education around the world.
It defines accreditation as “the process by which a credible, independent body assesses the quality of a medical education program to provide assurance that it produces graduates that are competent to practice safely and effectively under supervision as interns (or equivalent), and have been provided with an appropriate foundation for lifelong learning and further training in any branch of medicine.”
To view IAMRA's new policy on accreditation, please visit www.iamra.com.
Source: Source: IAMRA website, March 10, 2017
United Kingdom
GMC Survey Probes UK Physician Attitudes about Brexit
A survey by the General Medical Council (GMC) of more than 3,000 physicians in the United Kingdom, found that the UK's recent “Brexit” vote to leave the European Union (EU) has had an impact on some physicians' professional decisions on where and how they will practice medicine in the future.
The survey, distributed in February, was aimed particularly at European Economic Area (EEA) nationals — the term used to describe people living and working in EU nations. Of survey participants, 2,702 identified themselves as EEA nationals, 383 said they were UK nationals, and 209 had dual nationality.
1,280 of the EEA physicians said they were considering leaving the UK — and therefore UK practice — at some point in the future. Of those physicians, a significant majority said the UK's decision to leave the European Union was playing a part in their considerations to leave the UK.
586 physicians said they were considering leaving the UK in the next two years; while 312 said they were considering leaving in the next three to five years. 320 of respondents answering the question said they had not considered when they might leave the UK.
Source: GMC news release, February 28, 2017
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