Virginia can be a great state for an international medical graduate (IMG) to choose to establish a thriving and rewarding medical practice. Yet the requirements of the Virginia Board of Medicine for IMG licensure are every bit as strict and challenging as they are in other U.S. states before other medical boards. Like U.S. medical graduates, you must meet the Board's character and fitness and residency requirements and pass the USMLE Step exams. However, unlike U.S. medical graduates, IMGs must also obtain ECFMG certification. International medical graduates can face intractable issues out of these additional special requirements.
Fortunately, the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team is available in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Arlington, Richmond, Newport News, Alexandria, Hampton, Roanoke, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Lynchburg, Dale City, Centreville, Reston, Harrisonburg, and across Virginia to help you favorably resolve your IMG licensing issues. Call 888.535.3686 or complete this contact form now for your best IMG licensing outcome.
The Benefits of Virginia IMG Licensure
You can indeed look forward to great rewards and benefits from your Virginia medical practice. So many things contribute to making Virginia a good state for medical practice. Physicians have the employment and privileges benefits of the state's many well-equipped and staffed hospitals, including VCU Medical Center, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, University of Virginia Medical Center, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Lewis-Gale Medical Center, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Winchester Medical Center, and Mary Washington Hospital. The state's substantial population and thriving economy add to medical practice opportunities, security, and rewards. The state's medical schools provide substantial professional development opportunities, and Virginia's beautiful towns with good schools and attractive arts, entertainment, culture, and recreation promote a healthy family and personal life. Let us help ensure that you have the opportunity to enjoy those many benefits.
The Impact of Virginia IMG Licensing Issues
Virginia IMG licensing issues can not only delay your IMG licensure, affecting your employment, professional references and recommendations, and other opportunities and resources, but also derail your IMG licensure entirely. If you do not handle your IMG licensing issues promptly and responsibly, with the strategic and effective representation of our attorneys, you could lose your opportunity to practice medicine in Virginia. If you can't qualify for Virginia Board of Medicine licensure, you may be unable to license anywhere else in the U.S., depending on the grounds and circumstances. If you cannot practice medicine, you will lose the considerable value of your international medical education and the considerable amount of time, trouble, and expense you have invested in it. You will lose the above practice benefits and rewards. Don't let that happen to you. Instead, retain our highly qualified attorneys for your best IMG licensing outcome.
Virginia IMG Licensing Requirements
The Virginia Board of Medicine is the last and greatest challenge you face in gaining a Virginia IMG license. However, you must also meet the requirements of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), which certifies your international medical education. You also need to qualify for and pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Consider the following summary of your requirements with each of these three organizations.
Virginia Board of Medicine IMG Licensing Requirements
Virginia's Medical Practice Act Section 54.1-2902 requires anyone wishing to practice medicine in the state to hold a current Virginia Board of Medicine license. Section 54.1-2930 states the Virginia Board of Medicine requirements for licensure. For international medical graduates, the Board's requirements include not only the two years of medical residency and passage of the USMLE or NBME exam but also ECFMG certification of graduation from an approved international medical school. A Virginia Board of Medicine administrative rule, 18 Virginia Administrative Code 85-20-122, confirms the necessity of ECFMG certification. All candidates must also meet the Virginia Board of Medicine's standards for character and fitness. Your Board of Medicine application must also be truthful, complete, and accurate in every respect. Let us help if you face issues meeting these Board requirements.
ECFMG Requirements for Virginia IMGs
Because both the Virginia Medical Practice Act and Virginia Board of Medicine administrative rule require you to obtain ECFMG certification, you must show the ECFMG that your international medical school was on its World Directory of Medical Schools approved list at the time of your graduation. You must also show that you graduated from your international medical school in good standing. The other ECFMG requirement is that you show your U.S. citizenship or immigration visa for lawful entry into the U.S. for medical practice. Let us help if you face issues with ECFMG over these requirements.
From a practical standpoint, you must use ECFMG's Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) system to make the required documentary submissions. Your EPIC portfolio must be accurate and complete in every respect, or you may face ECFMG irregular behavior charges claiming your attempt at credential fraud. Your transcript, citizenship or lawful immigration documentation, and other documentation of your identity and credentials must bear the signatures, seals, attestations, or other indicia of authenticity and reliability the ECFMG requires. We can help you with documentation issues. Don't let them linger and complicate your IMG licensure.
USMLE Requirements for Virginia IMGs
As briefly indicated above, Virginia's Medical Practice Act Section 54.1-2931 requires that candidates pass the USMLE or another recognized licensing exam. International medical graduates will usually find USMLE to be the preferred or only available exam among the limited choices. Virginia Board of Medicine rule codified at 18 Virginia Administrative Code 85-20-140 reflects that the USMLE is a typical or preferred approved exam for IMGs and others. As in the case of your Virginia Board of Medicine and ECFMG applications, your USMLE application must be accurate in every respect, or you may face credential fraud charges.
Passing the USMLE Step 3 exam while complying with all rules in the USMLE Bulletin of Information is your greater challenge. Allegations of your irregular behavior suggesting cheating before, during, or after the exam or anomalous patterns in your analyzed exam answers can lead the USMLE to withhold and invalidate your Step 3 exam score. Let us help if you receive notice that the USMLE is investigating your application or exam performance.
Virginia IMG Issues
You might see from the above discussion how issues can arise and multiply from the requirements of one regulatory, certifying, or examining body to another. ECFMG issues can readily lead to USMLE issues, which can readily result in Virginia Board of Medicine issues. Consider the following discussion of how issues arise and interrelate and how we can help you address your Virginia IMG licensing issues.
Virginia Board IMG Issues
Virginia Board of Medicine character and fitness requirements are most likely to generate your Board issues. The Board questionnaire and application you complete require you to disclose abundant information relating to potential character and fitness issues. That information includes malpractice or unprofessionalism allegations arising out of your medical residency, suggesting your incompetence. You may also have to disclose psychiatric hospitalization relating to mental unfitness, physical disabilities as to physical fitness for practice, and substance abuse, dependency, and addiction issues relating to your potential for impaired practice. Criminal convictions, restraining orders, and domestic violence allegations in separation or divorce complaints can raise character and patient endangerment issues. These are a few of the Board issues you may face. Let us help you present a convincing case of your rehabilitation, recovery, and character. Take fitness issues most seriously.
Your other Virginia Board of Medicine issues may have to do with the completeness, consistency, and accuracy of your application. Let us help you answer any concerns over your statements and representations to satisfy and reassure the Board that your errors and omissions were innocent rather than deliberate in an attempt to defraud the Board as to your qualifications. You may also need to explain to Board officials why ECFMG or USMLE issues are delaying your Board application so that Board officials do not construe those issues as inconsistent with your Board application or simply close your file and deny you a license. We can help you assure the Board that you are diligently addressing your ECFMG and USMLE issues with our highly qualified representation.
Virginia IMG ECFMG Issues
ECFMG issues can arise in a manner that surprises international medical graduates. You presumably confirmed that your international medical school had ECFMG approval when you first enrolled. However, the ECFMG places schools on probation and revokes their approval from time to time. Let us help if you get into a dispute with ECFMG over the status of your international medical school at the time of your graduation. The ECFMG should indicate your school's approval in its World Directory of Medical Schools, but no organization is infallible. We may be able to help you clear up any confusion over your school's approved status.
Another more common IMG issue can arise out of the transcript you submit through your EPIC portfolio. Your international medical school's registrar should have updated your transcript in a timely manner to reflect your graduation in good standing. However, the registrar may believe that you have financial holds, pending disciplinary charges, or academic progression issues or may simply not have updated your transcript to reflect their resolution and your graduation. Let us help you work with your school's registrar or, if you have unresolved issues, then with other school officials so that your transcript satisfies ECFMG requirements.
You may also face credential fraud issues with ECFMG, like those issues you may face with the Virginia Board of Medicine. ECFMG's Policies and Procedures on Irregular Behavior give ECFMG officials the grounds to deny your certification if they find that you attempted to subvert ECFMG certification. Let us help you correct any errors or omissions in your EPIC portfolio with appropriate explanation and documentation of your innocence. We can help you before the ECFMG's Credentials Committee and Review Committee for Appeals as necessary.
Virginia IMG USMLE Issues
Your most likely issue with USMLE officials may be failing to pass the exam within the number and timing of permitted retakes. If you had extenuating circumstances for missing or failing to complete an exam that USMLE officials are counting against your retake limit, we may be able to help you gain an additional retake opportunity. Otherwise, if you have done well on the USMLE Step 3 exam and expect a passing score but do not timely receive it, your issue is likely to be an anomalous answer pattern suggesting cheating or outright cheating allegations from proctors, test center staff, or fellow examinees. Cheating allegations may involve reports of unauthorized devices or materials in the exam room, efforts to obtain answers from fellow examinees, or violating exam confidentiality in post-exam discussions. Our skilled attorneys can help you contest cheating charges. Credential fraud issues are also possible in your USMLE submissions. We can help you correct those issues while helping you establish your inadvertence and innocence.
Procedural Protections for Virginia IMGs
ECFMG and USMLE Policies and Procedures on Irregular Behavior offer you protective procedures that our attorneys know how to invoke for your best outcome to the above issues. Those procedures empower the ECFMG's Credentials Committee to hold hearings to determine your issue. The procedures further authorize the ECFMG's Review Committee to hear appeals that we can pursue if you have already lost your Credentials Committee hearing. The Virginia Board of Medicine generally owes due process to applicants whose property and liberty interests in their professional practice the Board may adversely affect with license denials or revocations. We can invoke those Board protective procedures as the state's administrative procedure act and other authority provide.
Virginia IMG Licensing Representation
The Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team is available across Virginia to help you favorably resolve your ECFMG, USMLE, and Virginia Medical Examining Board issues. We have helped hundreds of professionals in Virginia and across the nation resolve their licensing issues. Call 888.535.3686 or complete this contact form now for the best outcome for your IMG licensing issues.
