Wyoming is a beautiful place to live, with seemingly endless outdoor activities. Wyoming has breathtaking scenery, including parts of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. In addition to its views, Wyoming has a low cost of living and no state income tax, making it a great option for IMGs seeking a place to set up their medical career. Because of Wyoming's physician shortage, there are countless jobs to choose from in varying specialties, from primary care to obstetrics, dermatology, and more. The state's Office of Rural Health has even implemented a number of medical school loan repayment assistance programs to draw potential physicians to the state. The Wyoming Department of Health has also instituted a J-1 Visa waiver program to encourage IMGs to apply for licensure in the state. In 2018, Wyoming had over 2,700 IMGs practicing in the state through the J-1 Visa waiver program.
Even with many possibilities in Wyoming, as an international medical graduate (IMG), there are hurdles to medical licensure that are unique to you. IMGs face different requirements and can, therefore, face different problems when issues pop up in the licensure process. The Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team is well-versed in all issues related to IMG medical licensure in Wyoming. Our attorneys have assisted countless IMGs seeking Wyoming licensure in successfully obtaining their medical licenses. If you are facing an issue in the course of applying for Wyoming medical licensure, contact the Lento Law Firm today by calling 888-535-3686 or contacting us online. We are here to help you reach your goal of helping others.
Wyoming Requirements for IMGs
There are numerous requirements that candidates must meet before gaining medical licensure in Wyoming, but IMGs have additional requirements. Before applying for Wyoming medical licensure as an IMG, you must obtain a certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The certification ensures the State Board of Medicine that an IMG's medical education meets the rigorous academic, ethical, and clinical standards to safely practice medicine in the state. ECMFG certification is no easy feat; even collecting all the information for your application can take months to compile. The process requires working with a variety of different parties to ensure your academic records, test scores, and more are translated, authenticated, and vetted thoroughly. As you move through the process, you can anticipate frequent contact with your foreign medical school, United States Medical Licensing Examination staff, translators, and others.
Medical School Requirements
To get your ECFMG certification, you must graduate from a foreign medical school that the World Federation approves for Medical Education and FAIMER. These medical programs are detailed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (World Directory). The World Directory includes details on all foreign medical schools and lets ECFMG have confidence that you have obtained the necessary background and practical skills on par with those taught in US medical academic institutions.
Application for ECFMG Certification
The ECFMG certification application can be a real beast. You will be tasked with answering questions and providing information on everything from your medical education to your personal history. Because the process is so extensive, mistakes happen, but try to take your time and be accurate and truthful in all your responses to ensure ECFMG officials don't have doubts about your character.
You will need to submit part of your application online through the ECMFG online portal, the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) system. Another portion will need to be printed, signed in the presence of a notary, and sent back to ECFMG. There are numerous steps for each application component, so take your time to ensure you thoroughly understand the requirements and abide by all deadlines.
Medical Examination Requirements
There are two USMLEs required for ECFMG certification: UMSLE Step 1 and Step 2. USMLE Step 1 covers basic science you need in the course of your medical education, such as biology, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. USMLE Step 2 is more in-depth; you will be given hypothetical patient situations and answer questions relating to the diagnosis, prognosis, preventative measures, proposed care, testing, and more.
English Language Requirements
If you intend to practice medicine in Wyoming, you will likely practice exclusively in English. ECFMG, therefore, requires IMGs to have a high English language proficiency. You will likely take the Occupational English Test (OET) to demonstrate your language skills and submit your passing results to ECFMG.
Wyoming IMG ECFMG Certification Issues
ECFMG issues can significantly delay your certification and, if not addressed properly, even halt your medical career before it even starts. Most ECFMG issues arise from a genuine misunderstanding or typographical error, but any error or misconduct can cause a problem for your certification. ECFMG refers to conduct that raises red flags as "irregular behavior" and has specific procedures for addressing it. Irregular behavior is a bit of a strange term; ECMFG policies define irregular behavior as "the actions or attempted actions on the part of applicants, examinees, potential applications, others when solicited by an applicant and/or examinee, a medical school official, or any other person or entity that would or could subject the examination, certification or other processes, programs or services of ECFMG."
Often, ECFMG issues are honest mistakes, and ECFMG staff may contact you informally to ask if there was a mistake on the application. As mentioned above, you want to take your time and accurately complete your application to the best of your ability. ECFMG doesn't appreciate omissions or white lies, so make sure to check with your Lento Law Firm attorney before disclosing or failing to disclose certain things in your past. Your Lento Law Firm attorney can guide you through tactfully disclosing any past situations that may raise eyebrows and avoiding ECFMG issues.
The Lento Law Firm can assist with all ECGMF certification issues, but the most common issues we see arise for our IMG clients are:
- Submission of falsified or altered documents
- Failing to comply with USMLE requirements
- Failure to follow ECFMG policies, procedures, or rules
- Falsification of information on the application or other ECFMG submissions
If ECFMG suspects you have participated in irregular behaviors, it will weigh the pros and cons of opening an investigation. As we said above, if the issue is small, they may reach out informally for clarification. In more serious cases where it decides an investigation is warranted, the matter will be sent to ECFMG's Medical Education Credentials Committee (Committee).
When the Committee gets involved, a few things will happen right off the bat, the first being sending you written notification of the allegation and investigation. The notification you receive should include the following:
- A statement of the allegations against you
- The specific policies that you have allegedly violated
- A copy of the ECFMG Policies and Procedures Regarding Irregular Behavior
- A request that you provide a written explanation of the behavior or events to the Committee
- A deadline for submitting your response
- A statement that you have the right to be represented by an attorney
- A statement that you have the right to request a hearing
Getting a notification from the Committee can feel scary and overwhelming. Considering the letter isn't from a court or law enforcement, it may not have even occurred to retain an attorney. You may not have known the Professional License Defense Team exists to defend IMGs in your scenario. You do not need to go through this investigation process alone. When you retain the Lento Law Firm, we will handle all communication with the Committee; this includes drafting and submitting the requested written response and requesting and representing you at a Committee hearing.
Once the investigation, response, and hearing (if requested) are completed, the Committee will decide whether and what disciplinary action is appropriate in your case. Even if you think the ECFMG issue is just a misunderstanding, you must take it seriously. The consequences of ECFMG issues can be severe; the Committee can bar you from ECMFG programs and services, withhold or reject your ECFMG certification, report you to the USMLE Committee for Individualized review, and even law enforcement and immigration authorities.
When the Committee makes its decision, it can be final, but in some cases, you may be able to file an appeal. Generally, appeals are reserved for cases where new evidence comes to light after the Committee's decision that was not considered at the time it reviewed your case. There is a short window of time for you to appeal your case. If you have not yet retained an attorney, it isn't too late to contact the Lento Law Firm. Our Professional License Defense Team will walk you through the appeal process and advise on if this is a good option in your case. You have come so far in your medical studies journey; you shouldn't quit now without putting up a fight with the help of the Lento Law Firm.
Wyoming IMG USMLE Issues
USMLE issues are those that are directly or indirectly to your UMSLE. Issues can be related to failing to make proper disclosures while registering for the exam, cheating, and more. Our Professional License Defense Team can help if you are a Wyoming IMG facing USMLE issues for any of the following reasons:
- Registering for a USMLE that you are not eligible to sit for
- Soliciting exam materials
- Reproducing exam materials
- Attempting to or discussing exam content with former or potential examinees
- Providing false information on your USMLE exam application
- Impersonating another applicant and taking the exam on their behalf
- Providing unauthorized assistance to examinees at any point before, during, or after the exam
- Taking notes into the testing center
- Failure to comply with any USMLE rules, policies, or instructions
- Taking photos or videos during the examination
- Cheating on the exam
- Attempting to manipulate exam scores
When you have a USMLE issue, you likely also have an ECFMG issue because the USMLE is required to complete your ECFMG certification. If you are going through a USMLE issue, it may seem like a bad idea to loop in ECFMG if they don't already know of the issue, but you need to. You don't want your ECFMG certification to be denied while you are waiting for the USMLE issue to be resolved. You need to keep ECFMG involved to ensure your certification gets back on track as soon as your USMLE issue is resolved.
As soon as an issue arises, USMLE will put all your UMSLE actions on hold. This can mean not processing your exam application, not allowing you to sit for any USMLE, or withholding your exam results.
Like the ECFMG process, USMLE has its own Committee handling potential misconduct, the Committee for Individualized Review (CIR). CIR will send you a notification that, like that of ECFMG issues, will include a statement of the alleged violation and the policies violated a request and timeline for your written response, and a date and time for a hearing. You are entitled to legal representation at the CIR hearing, and your Lento Law Firm attorney will handle the entire process, from the written response through a vigorous defense on your behalf at the hearing.
As soon as you learn of a USMLE issue, contact the Lento Law Firm. Unfortunately, there are no appeals when CIR makes a decision, so you need the best possible defense from the get-go. When USMLE can permanently ban you from taking another USMLE or withhold your exam results, your entire medical future rests on getting a favorable CIR outcome.
Wyoming IMG Licensing Representation
If you're an IMG whose Wyoming medical licensure is tied up with an ECFMG, USMLE, or any other issue, the Lento Law Firm can help. Our Professional License Defense Team will fight tooth and nail to help you get back on track to get your Wyoming medical licensure. Contact us today by calling us at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.