Issue 127 - March 5, 2008
New ECFMG Acculturation Program Section of ECFMG Website Launches
ECFMG is pleased to announce that it has launched a new section of its website dedicated to the ECFMG Acculturation Program. This section can be accessed through the ECFMG homepage or directly at www.ecfmg.org/acculturation. Building on its tradition of identifying and meeting the acculturation needs of international medical graduates (IMGs), ECFMG launched the Acculturation Program in 2006 with the goal of assisting newly arriving IMGs with the transition to working and living in the United States. The Acculturation Program is developing a spectrum of resources designed to help IMGs as they learn about the U.S. medical system in which they will be training during their graduate medical education (GME). Several of these resources are now available through this new section of the ECFMG website, including:
- The IMG Advisors Network (IAN), a free service currently in its second year of operation that allows IMGs applying to ECFMG for initial J-1 visa sponsorship to connect with advisors who can answer questions about working and living in the United States. Detailed information and instructions on how to participate as either an advisor or an advisee are provided on the website.
- The One Dozen Most Important Things You May Not Have Known, Understood, or Realized About American Medicine, a series of modules designed to introduce IMGs to such topics as the doctor-patient relationship, the role of the patient’s family, the U.S. health care team, U.S. GME system, and confidentiality. Each module includes an overview of the topic, a video, commentary on the video, discussion questions regarding the video, and a transcript of the video.
- A glossary of U.S. “Medicalese,” which includes terms, phrases, and abbreviations that are particular to U.S. medicine. Many of these terms may be new and initially confusing to IMGs, even those who come from countries where the language of instruction is English and who speak and comprehend English quite well. It is our hope that this glossary will facilitate understanding of these terms when they are used by others.
Resources developed by the Acculturation Program can be used by IMGs at any time while planning for or after entry into U.S. GME programs. They can also be used by staff of GME training programs, hospitals, and other health care institutions who are responsible for orienting new IMG residents and introducing them to U.S. medical culture.
These resources represent just the first of the Acculturation Program’s anticipated offerings. It is intended that the new Acculturation Program section of the ECFMG website will continue to grow and become a clearinghouse for a range of materials, programs, and resources that may be useful to IMGs and those with whom they work and interact. Consistent with the program’s objectives, ECFMG will make these resources widely available by posting them to the ECFMG website.
Feedback, comments, and suggestions on these resources and on other materials you feel would be helpful are welcome and can be e-mailed to the Acculturation Program at acculturation@ecfmg.org.