International Medical Graduates Section

The IMG Section provides a forum for addressing the unique needs and concerns of IMGs, including discrimination, residency training, and licensure. The Section also offers members a chance to participate in organized medicine at both the local (MMS) and national (AMA) levels. The MMS-IMGS looks forward to continuing to represent the interests of this diverse and active segment of the MMS. If you are an international medical graduate physician and would like to get involved in the section, please call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7413.

International Medical Graduates Annual Reception
Immigration Today: A Discussion about Relevant Immigration Issues for the Medical Field
Speakers: Attorneys Katie Silvia and Stephanie Pimentel
Thursday, April 26, 2018, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
World Trade Center Boston

To register for this or other MMS Annual Meeting events, visit www.massmed.org/annual2018/register

Essential Facts for International Medical Graduates
Periodically the MMS receives calls from International Medical Graduates (“IMGs”) who are new to Massachusetts and do not know how to initiate the process of obtaining a limited license, gaining acceptance into a residency program, and/or obtaining a permanent license.  IMGs contacting the Society have voiced their frustration in finding accurate and consistent information on these processes.

In response to these inquiries, the MMS-IMGS Executive Committee developed an informational booklet to provide an accurate and basic reference guide for IMGs who are trying to make their way through the various processes required to become fully licensed to practice in Massachusetts.  There are a number of organizations and resources available to IMGs regarding these issues, but a need for accurate information and resources specific to Massachusetts was identified.

The resource booklet includes the following components:

• Immigration (specifically VISA requirements)
• Obtaining a limited and/or permanent license (basic steps and contact information)
• Obtaining a residency (basic steps and contact information)
• Discrimination issues
• Comprehensive Resource directory

The 3rd Edition of “Essential Factors for International Medical Graduates” is free and available to any MMS member. If you would like a copy of the booklet, please contact Erin Tally at (800) 322-2303 ext. 7413 or via e-mail etally@mms.org.

Download Booklet (.pdf, 28 pages)

International Medical Graduates Section
Chair: Rajendra Trivedi, MD
Vice Chair: Neil Fernandes, MD

Committee Members 
Krishna Agarwal, MD
Sarita Bajracharya
Daniela Pimentel Maldonado, MD
Kerim Munir, MD
Lakshmi Narayan Shanmugham, MD
Gabriela Szabo, MD
Kartikega Tripathi, MD
Anil Vyas, MD

International Medical Graduates Section Staff Contact:
Erin Tally
Phone: (800) 322-2303, ext. 7413; (781) 434-7413
Fax: (781) 893-2105
E-mail: etally@mms.org

Resources 

AMA International Medical Graduates (IMG) Section
The AMA International Medical Graduates (IMG) Section represents and promotes the interests of physicians who graduated from medical schools outside of the United States or Canada.
330 North Wabash Avenue
Chicago, Ill. 60611-5885
Telephone: (312) 464-5678
Fax: (312) 464-5845 

Immigration Information 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
National Customer Service Center
Visit the website for application forms and processing times. To schedule an appointment at a local office, go to infopass.uscis.gov.
Telephone: (800) 375-5283 (National Customer Service Center)
Live Assistance: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Recorded Assistance: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
Visit the website to locate a U.S. embassy overseas, find out overseas visa wait times, and apply for an overseas visa.
Telephone: (202) 485-7600
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association)
Suite 300, 1331 G Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005-3142
Visit the AILA website or the AILA Lawyer website to be referred to an attorney in your area who is a member of AILA.
Telephone: (202) 507-7600
Fax: (202) 783-7853

Information for J-1 Waiver Applicants

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
J1 Visa Waiver/Conrad 30
250 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02108-4619
Telephone: (617) 624-6051
Email: J1@dph.state.ma.us
For Massachusetts health workforce recruitment and retention or shortage designation programs, visit here or the Massachusetts Health Care Workforce Center.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Rebecca Powell, Executive Secretary
Exchange Visitor Waiver Review Board
Mary E. Switzer Building, Room 2008
Office of Global Affairs/ HHS
330 C Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20201
Visit the website for step-by-step instructions on how to prepare an application for U.S. DHHS’s recommendation for a waiver of the J-1 restriction based on public interest research.
Telephone: (202) 205-7733

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Shortage Designation
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
Visit the website to locate health professional shortage areas and medically underserved areas that meet J-1 waiver criteria.
Telephone: (888) 275-4772
Email: sdb@hrsa.gov

Discrimination Issues

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
515 North State St., Suite 200
Chicago, Il 60654
Phone: (312) 755-5000
Fax (312) 755-7498

American Medical Association
AMA Department of IMG Services
330 North Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60611-5885
Telephone: (312) 464-5678
Fax: (312) 464-5845
Email: img@ama-assn.org
Website: www.ama-assn.org (See member groups.)

Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine 
200 Harvard Mill Square, Suite 330
Wakefield, MA 01880
Phone: (781) 876-8200
Fax: (781) 876-8383
Consumer Hotline: (800) 377-0550
Website: www.mass.gov/massmedboard

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD)
1 Ashburton Place, Room 601
Boston, MA 02108-1518
Telephone: (617) 994-6000
Fax: (617) 994-6024
436 Dwight Street, Room 220
Springfield, MA 01103
Telephone: (413) 739-2145
Fax: (413) 784-1056
Website: www.mass.gov/mcad

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
131 M Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20507
Telephone: (202) 663-4900 or (800) 669-4000
TDD: (202) 663-4494
Fax: (202) 663-4912
Website: www.eeoc.gov
Email: info@eeoc.gov

Boston Area Office
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
475 Government Center
Boston, MA 02203
Telephone: (800) 669-4000
Fax: (617) 565-3196
Website: www.eeoc.gov/field/boston/index.cfm

Additional Information

AMA Department of International Medical Graduates (see listing in previous section)

ACP International (American College of Physicians)
190 N Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572
Telephone: (800) 523-1546
Website: www.acponline.org/about_acp/international/ 

Useful Publications on Graduate Medical Education

The Graduate Medical Education Directory, published by the American Medical Association (AMA), is recognized as the official list of ACGME-accredited graduate medical education programs in the United States. The directory provides contact information for the residency program directors of accredited graduate medical education programs. The AMA’s Graduate Medical Education Directory also describes the ACGME accreditation process, as well as institutional and program requirements for graduate medical education. It also provides information about the entry of foreign-born medical graduates to the United States.

This publication is available for purchase through the AMA’s online store.

The AMA has an interactive online program called Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA). FREIDA Online is a database with nearly 9,500 graduate medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, as well as over 100 combined specialty programs. Access FREIDA Online here

NRMP Results and Data
This report contains statistical tables and graphs for the Main Residency Match® and lists by state and sponsoring institution every participating program, the number of positions offered, and the number filled. This report, as well as data from prior years, can be found here.

AAMC Survey of Resident/Fellow Stipends and Benefits
Data from the AAMC Survey of Resident/Fellow Stipends and Benefits are publically available to AAMC constituents and others with an interest in graduate medical education issues. The survey has been fielded annually since 1968. Institutions—either hospitals or medical schools—are instructed to complete the survey only if they issue the checks for resident stipends. Find the report here.