Ecfmg 2015 Annual Report

GEMx Student Exchange Grants 

In 2015, the ECFMG Board of Trustees authorized the use of US$500,000 of ECFMG’s investment 

funds, the income from which is designated to support GEMx exchange students through a new 

grants program. The GEMx Student Exchange Grants program ofers grants of US$1,000 for up to two 

qualifying students from each GEMx Partner School. Students can use these grants for travel, lodging, 

and incidental expenses associated with participating in an elective ofered through GEMx. ECFMG 

ofers these grants to support students with financial challenges that otherwise would prevent them 

from participating in a GEMx elective exchange. Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, a GEMx Partner, also 

contributed substantially to the GEMx Student Exchange Grants program. 

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ECFMG Medical School Web Portal 

Te ECFMG Medical School Web Portal (EMSWP) provides access to ECFMG’s web-based programs for 

international medical schools—programs that support the schools as well as their students and graduates. 

Trough EMSWP, schools can access the following programs at no cost: 

•   Status Verifcation—to verify the enrollment status of students/graduates who apply to ECFMG for the 

United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) 

•   Credentials Verifcation—to verify the authenticity of the medical education credentials of their 

students/graduates 

•   Performance Data—to access data on the USMLE performance of their students/graduates 

•   ERAS—to upload and track receipt of supporting documents on behalf of their students/graduates who 

participate in ERAS 

•   GEMx—to complete and maintain their institution profles and provide information on available 

elective exchange opportunities 

Status Verification 

As the registration entity for international medical students/graduates applying for USMLE Step 1, USMLE 

Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), and USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), ECFMG determines their eligibility 

for examination. As part of this determination, ECFMG requires medical schools to certify that applicants are 

graduates or currently enrolled students. Trough the EMSWP Status Verifcation program, ECFMG enables 

authorized medical school ofcials to electronically verify the status of their students and graduates who apply to 

ECFMG for USMLE exams. 

Credentials Verification 

ECFMG’s electronic Credentials Verifcation enables medical schools to use the Internet to verify the 

authenticity of the medical education credentials they have issued to their students and graduates. For schools 

that participate, electronic Credentials Verifcation ofers dramatic time-savings and greater efciency compared 

to the traditional paper-based verifcation process by eliminating transit time and postal delays. Security features 

ensure that only authorized medical school ofcials can verify credentials. 

During 2015, ECFMG continued its outreach to medical schools worldwide to invite them to 

take advantage of electronic Credentials Verifcation. By the end of 2015, there were more than 470 schools 

participating in Credentials Verifcation. 

Additional information on the benefts of electronic Credentials Verifcation can be found at: 

www.ecfmg.org/about/initiatives-electronic-credentials-verifcation.html. 

Provision of USMLE Performance Data on Individual Students/Graduates 

Trough EMSWP, ECFMG provides eligible schools with data on the performance of their students/graduates 

who apply to ECFMG for USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 CK, and USMLE Step 2 CS. Tese data include 

whether an examinee passed the exam administration and, for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, the examinee’s numerical 

score on a three-digit scale. Examinees have the option to have their exam results withheld from their medical 

schools. 

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Electronic Submission of Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) 

Supporting Documents 

Trough EMSWP ERAS, international medical schools can upload supporting documents—Medical Student 

Performance Evaluations, medical school transcripts, and letters of recommendation—directly to ECFMG on 

behalf of their students and graduates who participate in ERAS (see page 19). Te EMSWP ERAS program also 

enables schools to track receipt of these supporting documents by ECFMG and to verify the ERAS registration 

activity of their students and graduates. 

GEMx—Global Educational Exchange in Medicine and the Health Professions for 

Partner Institutions 

Medical Schools and other institutions that participate in ECFMG’s GEMx program access the GEMx system 

through EMSWP. Te GEMx system provides these partner institutions with a comprehensive, web-based tool that 

centralizes information and ofers paperless management of all aspects of the student exchange process. Partners use 

the GEMx system to promote their institutions on the GEMx website and provide detailed information about their 

available electives; verify the eligibility of their students who wish to undertake electives, based on the students’ 

academic progress; receive and review incoming student applications on-line; and monitor incoming and outgoing 

student activities. 

Provision of Aggregate USMLE Performance Data 

Aggregate data are provided annually to eligible medical schools on the performance of their 

students/graduates who apply to ECFMG for USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 CK, and USMLE Step 2 CS. 

Schools must meet certain criteria, including completion of a Medical School Profile survey. Through this 

survey, schools provide information on their student bodies, application requirements, medical curricula, 

and teaching methods. This information is used by ECFMG’s foundation, the Foundation for Advancement 

of International Medical Education and Research, in its ongoing eforts to develop data resources and 

conduct research on undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs throughout the world. 

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