Residency Program
Columbus Central University graduates are fully eligible to participate in residency training and licensure in the United States. We believes that one of the factors for an outstanding success on the way to become a doctor is the strength of our Clinical Rotation Program, which is closely supervised and takes place in United States teaching hospitals and clinical centers.
Graduation
To be eligible for graduation (with intent to apply to U.S. Residency Program), students must: successfully complete all required coursework; pass USMLE Step 1 in three or fewer attempts; pass USMLE Step 2 in three or fewer attempts; meet all financial obligations of the medical college; and have all required administrative documentation on file.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is an agency that validates the education of all foreign medical graduates and issues certification. The ECFMG certificate is required to enter residency and to obtain licensure. To obtain this certificate a student must have a valid medical school diploma and have passed USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 (CS and CK).
More information can be obtained by visiting the ECFMG website.
USMLE
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) has four parts, leading to licensure. The USMLE Step 1 is taken immediately after the completion of the Basic Sciences or within the first nine weeks of Clinical Science; that is, at the end of Semester 6. Core Rotations are available only to students who have passed the First Step of the USMLE. A student who has successfully completed a minimum of 48 weeks of clinical training including Internal Medicine and who has passed USMLE Step 1 is eligible to be certified to take the USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS (Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Skills) . International medical graduates (IMGs) who are certified by ECFMG or pursuing ECFMG Certification should be familiar with these regulations.
Detailed information is available on the USMLE website.
Please Note: Students have to pass Step 2 CK & CS in a maximum of three attempts, and within two calendar years of becoming eligible, in order to receive the Doctor of Medicine degree from Columbus Central University. USMLE Step 3, the final step for licensure, is taken after graduation or during (or at the conclusion) of residency training.
MATCH PROGRAM
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a universal placement service, which significantly optimizes the chances of getting a residency position. Applications have to be submitted between July and October for the following July session therefore the application deadline is October. Applications can be obtained from NRMP’s website.
In order to be eligible to participate in the NRMP, students must have passed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK and CS, by December of the year prior to which they wish to enter residency training. Additionally, they must be scheduled to graduate medical school on or before May 31. Upon registering with the NRMP, students should submit and application to each residency program, which they are interested in, and undergo an interview.
In February, students are required to submit a “rank order list” to the NRMP. It’s a preference list of the programs in the order of most desirable to the least. Simultaneously, all the residency programs submit their rank order lists of the candidates they have interviewed.
A computerized system begins the matching process, which results are released in March. A student, who has matched at a specific program is obligated to start the residency. A student, who has failed to match or is not eligible to enter the NRMP, will be still able to apply to residency programs by obtaining a position “outside the match”. Simultaneously with the NRMP results released in March, a publication listing all unfilled residency positions is sent to all those who had participated in the NRMP, but failed to match.
TRANSCRIPTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
All residency programs as part of the application process require:
- all attended medical schools transcript(s)
- a Dean’s Letter from a current school
- three letters of recommendation
Most programs require the transcript and Dean’s Letter to be official (sent directly from the school) and the letters of recommendation to be confidential (sent directly from the recommending persons). For some programs, however, it may be possible to send unofficial copies of the transcript and letters directly with the application, and then have official/confidential originals sent only if the student is invited for an interview. Students should verify this issue with each program, before sending the application.
A Dean’s Letter is a document issued by the Dean of Clinical Science that contains information about a student’s academic performance and excerpts from letters of recommendation in the student’s file.
Please Note: Students are required to submit a Dean’s Letter Request Form (downloadable from our website) to the Clinical Department for their Dean’s Letter. The Department will require a resume and a personal statement to be sent along with each request.
OBTAINING A RESIDENCY POSITION
Residency programs begin July 1st of each year. In order to be eligible, students are required to present the following documents by May 31st:
- passing scores on USMLE Step 1
- passing scores on USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS
- CCU’s graduate diploma
- an ECFMG Certificate
The application process is complex, and deadlines are critical. Most residency programs accept applications from July to December for entry the following July. Therefore, students should apply to all the programs, they have an interest in, and obtain applications as early as possible. Interviews are generally conducted from September to January; if invited, students should definitely attend.
The best way to become familiar with programs and their addresses is to obtain a copy of the American Medical Association (AMA) Graduate Medical Education Directory (also called the “green book”) from any medical library or bookstore. This book lists the programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). It can also be purchased directly from the our bookstore.
