Physician (Internal Medicine)

of Education and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) at the time the degree was obtained (e.g. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). A Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school must provide education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent to accredited schools in the United States. Evidence of equivalency to accredited schools in the United States is demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, a fifth pathway certificate for Americans who completed premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country, or successful completion of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination.

Certification: Board Certification required.

Internship/Residency: Successful completion of an internship and residency program (corresponding to the specialty required in the TO) which has been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the Committee on Postdoctoral Training of the American Osteopathic Association. Subsequent to obtaining a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree, a candidate must have had at least 1 year of supervised experience providing direct service in a clinical setting (i.e., a 1-year internship or the first year of a residency program in a hospital or an institution accredited for such training). For purposes of this requirement, graduate training programs include only those internship, residency, and fellowship programs that are approved by accrediting bodies recognized within the United States or Canada. Descriptions of such programs are described below:

• An internship program involves broadly based clinical practice in which physicians acquire experience in treating a variety of medical problems under supervision (e.g., internal medicine, surgery, general practice, obstetrics-gynecology, and pediatrics). Such programs are in hospitals or other institutions accredited for internship training an appropriate accrediting body.
• A residency program involves training in a specialized field of medicine in a hospital or an institution accredited for training in the specialty by an appropriate accrediting body.
• A fellowship program involves advanced training (beyond residency training) in a given medical specialty in either a clinical or research setting in a hospital or an institution accredited in the United States for such training.