Graduates of foreign medical schools who wish to enter a residency or fellowship training program at the University of Washington must hold valid ECFMG Certification prior to starting in a GME training program.
Applicants for ECFMG Certification must satisfy both the medical science examination and clinical skills requirements of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). To satisfy those requirements, applicants must pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2. Step 2 has two separately administered components, the Clinical Knowledge (CK) component and the Clinical Skills (CS) component.
Residents and fellows participating in the NRMP match must have passed all exams required for ECFMG certification and the results must be available by the rank order list deadline. Please refer to the Verification of Credentials for Match Eligibility page on the NRMP website for detailed information.
If you are not a citizen of the US and do not hold Permanent Resident status, you will need to secure a visa prior to commencement of training. The University of Washington accepts foreign national physicians into its training programs on the J-1 visa. Only under special circumstances and with prior approval by the UW Provost’s Office will trainees be considered for the H-1B.
Please refer to the ECFMG website and the links below for detailed information on registering for the USMLEs, ECFMG Certification, and the J-1 application process.