Test Tied to Slip in Foreign Applicants for Medical Residencies

antiquity · 09-03-2002, 10:35 PM

Test Tied to Slip in Foreign Applicants for Medical Residencies

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HICAGO, Sept. 3 - The number of foreign medical school graduates who are seeking training in the United States has plummeted since the start of an expensive new test that requires them to demonstrate skills in English, a study has found.

The number of foreign graduates taking the examination, required of applicants for residencies and fellowships, fell by more than half from 1997 to last year, to 16,828 from 36,231, the study said. The decline coincided with a requirement instituted in 1998 that the foreign applicants pass a clinical skills assessment, in which they have to communicate with fake patients in English and are scored on the encounters.

The authors of the study suggested that foreign students might be dissuaded by the prospect of having their English evaluated. The authors also cited the $1,200 cost of the test and the expense of traveling to Philadelphia, the sole examination site.

The president of the American College of International Physicians, Dr. Alex Yadao, said the examination and other required tests, as well as the travel expenses, could total thousands of dollars.

"Foreign doctors cannot afford that," Dr. Yadao said.

The study, by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, appears on Wednesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The longer-term downward trend "could have a significant impact on the overall graduate medical education population and the resulting U.S.
medical work force," the researchers said, because foreign medical graduates consistently represent one-fourth of both groups.

A similar clinical-skills test proposed for American medical students has prompted objections from the American Medical Association and other groups concerned about the cost and effectiveness of the examination.

antiquity · 09-04-2002, 12:57 PM

Author Topic: Â* Foreign med grads seeking training in U.S. drops by half
Max

Member posted Sep 04, 2002 03:50 PM Â*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign med grads seeking training in U.S. drops by half

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Andrew Buchanan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO - The number of foreign medical school graduates seeking training in the United States has plummeted since the start of an expensive new test requiring them to demonstrate their English skills, a study found.

The number of foreign grads taking the exam, required for residencies and fellowships, dropped by more than half between 1997 and 2001, from 36,231 to 16,828, researchers found.

The decline coincided with a requirement instituted in 1998 that applicants pass a clinical skills assessment, during which they must communicate with fake "patients" in English and are scored on the staged encounters.

The study's authors suggest that foreign students might be dissuaded by the prospect of having their English evaluated. The authors also cited the $1,200 cost of the test and the expense of traveling to Philadelphia, the sole examination site.

The study, by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, appears in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study involved foreigners who applied for 2001 programs that began before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Newer figures suggest that foreign applications have surged since Sept. 11, said the lead author, Dr. Gerald Whelan.

The longer-term downward trend "could have a significant impact on the overall graduate medical education population and the resulting U.S. medical work force," the researchers said, because foreign medical graduates consistently represent about one-fourth of both groups.

A similar clinical-skills test proposed for U.S. medical students has prompted objections from the AMA and other groups concerned about the exam's cost and effectiveness.

09/04/02

==============================
"Experience teaches that, of all the emotions, fear stands alone in its power to move us, or to capture us in its grip forever. In a world of terrors, there is nothing more fearsome that the unknown...especially when what is unknown is ourselves." Outer Limits(Fear Itself)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posts: 2083Â*|Â*From: Montreal,Province of Quebec, CANADAÂ*|Â*Registered: Jul 25, 2001

09-03-2002, 10:35 PM	#1
antiquity Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 14,540	Test Tied to Slip in Foreign Applicants for Medical Residencies Test Tied to Slip in Foreign Applicants for Medical Residencies By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HICAGO, Sept. 3 - The number of foreign medical school graduates who are seeking training in the United States has plummeted since the start of an expensive new test that requires them to demonstrate skills in English, a study has found. The number of foreign graduates taking the examination, required of applicants for residencies and fellowships, fell by more than half from 1997 to last year, to 16,828 from 36,231, the study said. The decline coincided with a requirement instituted in 1998 that the foreign applicants pass a clinical skills assessment, in which they have to communicate with fake patients in English and are scored on the encounters. The authors of the study suggested that foreign students might be dissuaded by the prospect of having their English evaluated. The authors also cited the $1,200 cost of the test and the expense of traveling to Philadelphia, the sole examination site. The president of the American College of International Physicians, Dr. Alex Yadao, said the examination and other required tests, as well as the travel expenses, could total thousands of dollars. "Foreign doctors cannot afford that," Dr. Yadao said. The study, by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, appears on Wednesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The longer-term downward trend "could have a significant impact on the overall graduate medical education population and the resulting U.S. medical work force," the researchers said, because foreign medical graduates consistently represent one-fourth of both groups. A similar clinical-skills test proposed for American medical students has prompted objections from the American Medical Association and other groups concerned about the cost and effectiveness of the examination.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

09-04-2002, 12:57 PM	#2
antiquity Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 14,540	Author Topic: Â* Foreign med grads seeking training in U.S. drops by half Max Member posted Sep 04, 2002 03:50 PM Â* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Foreign med grads seeking training in U.S. drops by half -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Andrew Buchanan THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHICAGO - The number of foreign medical school graduates seeking training in the United States has plummeted since the start of an expensive new test requiring them to demonstrate their English skills, a study found. The number of foreign grads taking the exam, required for residencies and fellowships, dropped by more than half between 1997 and 2001, from 36,231 to 16,828, researchers found. The decline coincided with a requirement instituted in 1998 that applicants pass a clinical skills assessment, during which they must communicate with fake "patients" in English and are scored on the staged encounters. The study's authors suggest that foreign students might be dissuaded by the prospect of having their English evaluated. The authors also cited the $1,200 cost of the test and the expense of traveling to Philadelphia, the sole examination site. The study, by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, appears in today's Journal of the American Medical Association. The study involved foreigners who applied for 2001 programs that began before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Newer figures suggest that foreign applications have surged since Sept. 11, said the lead author, Dr. Gerald Whelan. The longer-term downward trend "could have a significant impact on the overall graduate medical education population and the resulting U.S. medical work force," the researchers said, because foreign medical graduates consistently represent about one-fourth of both groups. A similar clinical-skills test proposed for U.S. medical students has prompted objections from the AMA and other groups concerned about the exam's cost and effectiveness. 09/04/02 ============================== "Experience teaches that, of all the emotions, fear stands alone in its power to move us, or to capture us in its grip forever. In a world of terrors, there is nothing more fearsome that the unknown...especially when what is unknown is ourselves." Outer Limits(Fear Itself) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Posts: 2083Â\|ÂFrom: Montreal,Province of Quebec, CANADAÂ\|ÂRegistered: Jul 25, 2001