Issue Thirty - September 23, 2003
Additional information on USMLE™ Step 2 CS is available on this website.
Important Information for CSA® Applicants:
End of Registration for ECFMG CSA
Deadline for Taking CSA for the 2004 Match
As previously published in The ECFMG Reporter and on the ECFMG website, a clinical skills examination will become part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination™ (USMLE™) in mid-2004. The new exam, USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (Step 2 CS), will replace the ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) as the exam that satisfies the clinical skills requirement for ECFMG Certification. Administration of Step 2 CS is expected to begin on June 1, 2004.
ECFMG will administer the CSA until spring 2004. However, all CSA testing spaces available through the end of CSA administration in spring 2004 are expected to fill by late 2003 or early 2004. ECFMG will continue to register applicants for the CSA until either:
- Enough applicants have been registered to fill available CSA testing spaces, or
- All CSA applications received through January 5, 2004 have been processed,
whichever is earlier.
Depending on demand, it is possible that CSA testing spaces will be filled and CSA registration will end well before January 5, 2004. As a result, receipt of your CSA application at ECFMG by January 5, 2004 does not guarantee that you will be registered for the CSA. Additionally, if you are registered, there is no guarantee that there will be CSA testing spaces available at the time of scheduling.
If you wish to take the ECFMG CSA, you should register as soon as you are eligible and schedule your test date as soon as possible after you are registered. Additionally:
- If you plan to participate in the 2004 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), or "the Match," you must take the CSA no later than January 31, 2004 to ensure that your CSA results will be reported to the NRMP in time to participate in the Match. At the time of publication, the earliest available CSA test dates were in November 2003.
- If you wish to take the CSA but will not participate in the 2004 Match, you should register and schedule as soon as possible. However, please consider selecting a CSA test date that is after January 31, 2004, in order to maximize the number of testing spaces available to applicants participating in the 2004 Match.
Applicants for ECFMG Certification who do not satisfy the clinical skills requirement for ECFMG Certification by passing the ECFMG CSA can satisfy this requirement by passing USMLE Step 2 CS, provided that they meet the Step 2 CS eligibility requirements. This includes applicants who:
- Apply for the ECFMG CSA by January 5, 2004 but are not registered before CSA registration ends, or
- Are registered for the CSA but do not schedule a test date before all CSA testing spaces are filled.
In these cases, ECFMG will contact applicants regarding the transfer of their registration from the ECFMG CSA to USMLE Step 2 CS.
If, by January 5, 2004, you have not satisfied the clinical skills requirement for ECFMG Certification and your CSA application has not been received by ECFMG, you should apply for USMLE Step 2 CS using the Step 2 CS application materials. Information on Step 2 CS application policies and procedures will be available on the ECFMG website. Registration for Step 2 CS is expected to begin in early 2004.
Tentative Schedule for Transition from ECFMG CSA to USMLE Step 2 CS
| When enough applicants have been registered to fill CSA testing spaces*, or When applications received through January 5, 2004, have been processed, whichever is earlier |
Registration for ECFMG CSA ends. |
| Early 2004* | Registration for USMLE Step 2 CS begins. |
| January 31, 2004 | Deadline for taking ECFMG CSA for 2004 Match. Results for CSA administrations on or before January 31, 2004 will be reported to the NRMP in time to participate in the 2004 Match. |
| Spring 2004* | Administration of ECFMG CSA ends. |
| Mid-2004** | Administration of USMLE Step 2 CS begins. |
*Exact dates have not yet been determined. Monitor the ECFMG website for updates.
**Administration of Step 2 CS is expected to begin on June 1, 2004. Monitor the USMLE website for updates.
Additional Information on the Transition to USMLE Step 2 CS
As additional information regarding Step 2 CS becomes available, details will be provided on the ECFMG website and on the USMLE website. Individuals interested in ECFMG Certification, including those who have already passed or plan to take the ECFMG CSA, should:
- Closely monitor the Step 2 CS information on this website and on the USMLE website at www.usmle.org as the transition to Step 2 CS approaches.
- Review the information on Step 2 CS in the ECFMG 2004 Information Booklet and the USMLE 2004 Bulletin of Information. Both publications are available on the Publications Page of this website.
- Subscribe to The ECFMG Reporter, ECFMG's free e-mail newsletter. ECFMG will publish updates on the transition to Step 2 CS in The ECFMG Reporter, as new information becomes available.
- Direct specific questions regarding the transition to Step 2 CS to info@ecfmg.org.