Glossary
ERAS, MSPE, SOAP, USCE, YOG: plain-English definitions with links to the full guides.
- ACGMEThe Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which accredits most US residency and fellowship programs and sets their standards.
- Categorical positionA residency position that covers the full length of training in a specialty, from the first year through completion, as opposed to a one-year preliminary position.
- Conrad 30The program that lets each state recommend up to 30 J-1 physicians a year for a waiver of the two-year home-country requirement in return for shortage-area service.
- DS-2019The Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status, the form that sponsors issue so a J-1 physician can apply for a visa and enter the US.
- ECFMGThe Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, which certifies IMGs for US residency and sponsors most J-1 physician visas.
- ECFMG CertificateThe credential ECFMG issues to IMGs who meet its requirements, needed to start ACGME-accredited residency in the US. It is not a medical license.
- ERASThe Electronic Residency Application Service, run by AAMC, where you build and submit your residency application.
- ERAS tokenA code issued by ECFMG that IMGs use to register for MyERAS and apply to residency, required once per application season.
- IMGInternational medical graduate: a physician whose medical degree is from a school outside the US and Canada, and who needs ECFMG Certification for US residency.
- IntealthIntealth is the nonprofit parent organization of ECFMG and FAIMER, and the name behind the MyIntealth portal IMGs use for certification.
- Match DayThe day applicants learn where they matched for residency, announced by the NRMP at the end of Match Week, with dates published by the NRMP each year.
- MSPEThe Medical Student Performance Evaluation, a summary of a student's performance that medical schools prepare for residency applications.
- NBMEThe National Board of Medical Examiners, a nonprofit that co-sponsors the USMLE and publishes the NBME self-assessments used for exam preparation.
- NRMPThe National Resident Matching Program, which runs the Main Residency Match that pairs applicants with residency programs.
- ObservershipA clinical placement where you shadow US physicians without directly providing patient care.
- PGYPostgraduate year: the count of how many years a physician has been in residency training, such as PGY-1 for the first year.
- Preliminary yearA one-year residency position, often in internal medicine or surgery, that serves as a first year before or alongside advanced specialty training.
- Program signalingA way for applicants to indicate special interest in a limited number of residency programs during the application.
- Rank order listThe list of residency programs an applicant ranks in order of preference for the Match.
- SEVISThe Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, the US government database that tracks J-1 exchange visitors and the sponsors that issue their DS-2019 forms.
- SOAPThe Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, a structured process for unmatched applicants to pursue unfilled residency positions during Match Week.
- USCEUS clinical experience: hands-on or observational clinical work in a US healthcare setting, often expected of IMGs applying to residency.
- USMLEThe United States Medical Licensing Examination, the three-step exam series that IMGs must pass for ECFMG Certification and that states use for licensure.
- UWSAThe UWorld Self-Assessments, practice exams sold by UWorld that many examinees use to gauge readiness for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
- YOGYear of graduation: the year you graduated from medical school, which some programs use as a screening filter.