Issue Eighty-Five - August 24, 2005
ECFMG On-line Application Process Enhanced
ECFMG is pleased to announce significant enhancements to its Interactive Web Application (IWA) that will take effect with the release of the 2006 application materials, which is expected at the end of August 2005.
The first enhancement will allow medical school graduates to complete the IWA application on-line, without submitting a paper certification form for each application. This new, simplified process will replace the current process that requires all applicants who apply for examination using IWA to complete the on-line portion of the application and then submit a paper Certification Statement (Form 183) to complete their applications.
After this change takes effect, medical school graduates who apply using IWA will first complete the on-line portion of the application and then complete and return a paper Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) that will remain valid for five years. Once ECFMG has received and accepted Form 186, the entire exam application process can be completed on-line during the five-year period that the Form 186 is valid.
This enhancement is not yet available for medical school students. ECFMG will continue to require that medical school students print a Certification Statement (Form 183) at the end of each IWA application and submit the completed Certification Statement to complete their exam applications.
Applicants who submit their applications to ECFMG through IWA enjoy a number of advantages over those who send a paper application. These advantages include, but are not limited to, shorter processing time (typically ten business days for IWA applications) and fewer incomplete and rejected applications, since common errors are reduced through the IWA information validation process.
The second enhancement allows all applicants (students and graduates) to request to change their name of record during the on-line application process. IWA will provide instructions for these applicants on what documentation is required and how to submit this documentation to ECFMG. Currently, exam applicants who request to change their name of record can only submit a paper application.
Finally, IWA has been enhanced to allow all applicants (students and graduates) who have lost or forgotten their ECFMG/USMLE™ Identification Number to obtain their number on-line. Currently, applicants who do not have their number must contact ECFMG's Applicant Information Services to request their number.
Detailed information on these enhancements will be available through IWA at the end of August. You can access IWA by visiting the ECFMG website.