Any help would be appreciated

[OliviaA]

I'm in a caribbean medical school and I passed step 1. I recently received an e-mail from ECFMG asking to sign an affidavit stating that I did basic sciences in the island that the school is in. Now, all the students received this e-mail and we are all freaking out.

I did not break any rules but still I feel as though something shady is going on. The school keeps on telling the students not to respond to it for whatever reason.

My question is, if the school loses accreditation, will be step 1 score still be valid? or can it be revoked/canceled?

Thanks.

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When Do I Need a Lawyer?

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[OliviaA]

Is this Ross?

Never lie about anything

It wouldn't hurt to actually call, not email, ECFMG and see what the deal is.

But yea, never lie about anything, that's a ridiculous request

I didn't lie about anything. It is not Ross.

My question is, if the school loses accreditation, will be step 1 score still be valid? or can it be revoked/canceled?

Thanks for your response.

 

[OliviaA]

-Skip

Thanks

 

[Clarus]

Is this Ross?

Never lie about anything

It wouldn't hurt to actually call, not email, ECFMG and see what the deal is.

But yea, never lie about anything, that's a ridiculous request

You got some beef with Ross or something? Pretty sure Ross takes care of ECFMG certification because I have never heard anyone from Ross having an issue with this.

 

[Skip Intro]

Is this Ross?

You got some beef with Ross or something? Pretty sure Ross takes care of ECFMG certification because I have never heard anyone from Ross having an issue with this.

? No

That's not what this is about. It's not Ross. It has nothing to do with "switching islands".

I'm willing to bet this is a distance learning issue at one of the schools who promises that you can do at least some of your classes online, at home, etc.

I'm not sure why the ECFMG itself would be cracking down on such an issue, though. This is usually a state medical board thing. However, there is a move to uniformly apply this in the U.S. and by the year 2023 the ECFMG will be the de facto approving body.

In my opinion, having individual states issue medical licenses is a silly antiquity and there should be one license to practice medicine that is effective in all 50 states. Medicine practiced in Maine should be no different than medicine practiced in Alaska or Hawaii. But, that's an entirely separate issue.

All that said, my advice to you OP? Hire a lawyer. Don't sign anything until you have a legal opinion to back it up. Most certainly, don't lie. You apparently stepped into a pile of doggy doo-doo without realizing it. Good luck.

-Skip

 

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I didn't even realize this was a thing

IUHS - Information from Current Students

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[OliviaA]

That's not what this is about. It's not Ross. It has nothing to do with "switching islands".

I'm willing to bet this is a distance learning issue at one of the schools who promises that you can do at least some of your classes online, at home, etc.

I'm not sure why the ECFMG itself would be cracking down on such an issue, though. This is usually a state medical board thing. However, there is a move to uniformly apply this in the U.S. and by the year 2023 the ECFMG will be the de facto approving body.

In my opinion, having individual states issue medical licenses is a silly antiquity and there should be one license to practice medicine that is effective in all 50 states. Medicine practiced in Maine should be no different than medicine practiced in Alaska or Hawaii. But, that's an entirely separate issue.

All that said, my advice to you OP? Hire a lawyer. Don't sign anything until you have a legal opinion to back it up. Most certainly, don't lie. You apparently stepped into a pile of doggy doo-doo without realizing it. Good luck.

-Skip

Thank you so much for this advice. What kind of lawyer should I hire? Any suggestions would be helpful. The deadline is November 1st for the affidavit and I need to act asap. Thanks again.

 

[OliviaA]

Holy shnikeys

Sorry OP that's just poor judgment

I'm not sure what you mean but I didn't do any distance learning.

 

[OliviaA]

Then why can't you sign the affidavit?

Huh? Who said I couldn't?

My question was, if the school loses accreditation, will the step 1 score still be valid? or can it be revoked/canceled?

But you answered it already.

 

[Skip Intro]

Okay... let's summarize...

1) You already took Step 1 and passed it, which means that the school was at least recognized per these criteria at the time you took the test:

United States Medical Licensing Examination | USMLE Bulletin | Eligibility​

2) Sounds like ECFMG is for some reason requiring you to sign some affidavit that attests that you were physically on the island and attended classes at your current school. This, in and of itself, seems weird to me.

3) The school itself is now telling you to ignore the affidavit, which also seems weird to me.

The reason why I'd run this buy an attorney is because once you sign an affidavit, you are legally bound by what's written on it. This may have potential downstream ramifications. Since we can't see what the affidavit says, one would assume that provided it doesn't contain anything that is factually incorrect to the best of your current knowledge (e.g., you actually did attend the school and were physically present on the island, etc.) that it would be "safe" to sign. What you don't know is the reason why the school is telling you to ignore it.

The truth of the matter is that, without ECFMG certification, you cannot move forward. Period. You will never be able to practice in the U.S. So, you need to sort this out. Certain government boards of countries or individual state licensing boards often require people to sign affidavits all the time. It's boilerplate kind of stuff... "I, the undersigned, hereby certify under oath that I am the person named in this application, that all statements I have or shall make on or in connection with the application are true, that I am the person named in the various forms..." and are safe to sign.

What you're describing seems different, the school is telling you to ignore the form, and you have some suspicion that the school is closing. All red flags.

An attorney who specializes in international law or education law (preferably both) would be the best bet. It's going to cost you (retainer + time) and may not be cheap. May turn out to be no big deal. But, if I were in your shoes, that's what I would do.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

-Skip

 

[Raney Schauer]

What kind of lawyer should I hire?

Do a search for attorneys that have handled for-profit education or ECFMG cases in the past. Start with the Bar Association from your home state.

 

[Caribpro]

This does not sound legit. I would call ECFMG and confirm that they are the ones who sent the letter.

What school did/do you attend?

 

[OliviaA]

Okay... let's summarize...

2) Sounds like ECFMG is for some reason requiring you to sign some affidavit that attests that you were physically on the island and attended classes at your current school. This, in and of itself, seems weird to me.

3) The school itself is now telling you to ignore the affidavit, which also seems weird to me.

The reason why I'd run this buy an attorney is because once you sign an affidavit, you are legally bound by what's written on it. This may have potential downstream ramifications. Since we can't see what the affidavit says, one would assume that provided it doesn't contain anything that is factually incorrect to the best of your current knowledge (e.g., you actually did attend the school and were physically present on the island, etc.) that it would be "safe" to sign. What you don't know is the reason why the school is telling you to ignore it.

The truth of the matter is that, without ECFMG certification, you cannot move forward. Period. You will never be able to practice in the U.S. So, you need to sort this out. Certain government boards of countries or individual state licensing boards often require people to sign affidavits all the time. It's boilerplate kind of stuff... "I, the undersigned, hereby certify under oath that I am the person named in this application, that all statements I have or shall make on or in connection with the application are true, that I am the person named in the various forms..." and are safe to sign.

What you're describing seems different, the school is telling you to ignore the form, and you have some suspicion that the school is closing. All red flags.

An attorney who specializes in international law or education law (preferably both) would be the best bet. It's going to cost you (retainer + time) and may not be cheap. May turn out to be no big deal. But, if I were in your shoes, that's what I would do.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

-Skip

To answer your initial questions, yes the school is recognized by ECFMG and met all criteria required. The school was telling everyone to ignore it at first until they figured out what to do based on the attorneys.

So, I spoke to an attorney and he went through the affidavit with me. He wasn't positive or negative concerning the outcome of the school. He kept on saying he's not certain but he knows ECFMG is very strict with matters like this. I also asked him about the step 1 score being valid even if the school loses accreditation/ECFMG recognition AFTER you graduated when it had accreditation.....and he kept on saying that it could or could not still be valid (he's not sure what they will do).

ECFMG has also put red printed wording in the wdmos stating the enhanced procedures are required for ECFMG certification from the school.

I'm now realizing that there is a serious possibility now that the school may lose ECFMG recognition and/or accreditation and I guess all my time, money and effort in this would have gone to waste. My step score could still be canceled/revoked.

I'm not sure if I should seek a transfer to another school or what I should do.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

You're asking the wrong question. The right question/answer is in Skip's reply.

Your step score won't be revoked or cancelled. You took the step, and you passed. That's all.

The problem is ECFMG certification. Looks like the ECFMG is hunting whether students really study on the island in question. As Skip has mentioned, the problem they are hunting is usually distance learning. Your real problem is this: If the ECFMG withdraws it's acceptance of your school, your degree is worthless in the US. Your step score will no longer matter, since your degree will not be recognized.

If your school is ECFMG the day you graduate, then you're fine. Nothing is retroactive.

 

[EmeraldDragon]

I was recently warned that any school that offers "online" semesters, will lose their accreditation (or at least face consequences) when it is discovered. Specifically in this case it is the USMLE prep semester from Xavier, apparently they are letting transfers into their program do their 5th/6th semester online. CAAM-HP/ACCM in particular are very much against this, and those students transferring there have significantly reduced (or even eliminated) their chances of ever matching into residency.

OP, what school do you attend?

 

[OliviaA]

If the ECFMG withdraws it's acceptance of your school, your degree is worthless in the US. Your step score will no longer matter, since your degree will not be recognized.

If your school is ECFMG the day you graduate, then you're fine. Nothing is retroactive.

This is what I'm talking about. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear. I'm afraid ECFMG withdraws its acceptance of the school then my step score will no longer matter since the degree is not recognized. I did not graduate yet and only did step 1 not the rest of the steps. I have a feeling they may lose recognition by next year.

 

[Skip Intro]

This is what I'm talking about. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear. I'm afraid ECFMG withdraws its acceptance of the school then my step score will no longer matter since the degree is not recognized. I did not graduate yet and only did step 1 not the rest of the steps. I have a feeling they may lose recognition by next year.

This is purely anecdotal and I can only tell you what I recollect from the time. There is no way I can corroborate this and do not rely on it as information you can utilize moving forward.

But...

There was a student in my class, an acquaintance at Ross, who transferred to University of Colorado after he completed MS2 at Ross and had passed Step 1. In spite of his passing Step 1 score, he was still required to repeat MS2 at U of C as a condition of his transfer. Since he'd already taken and passed Step 1, that score would stand and he could not re-take it.

You may be in a similar situation. Run it by your attorney.

-Skip