But, doesn't the SAITM website say something like
Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy Russian Federation,
Sri Lankan Campus?
Well, doesn't that mean that I'm still doing the first 4 years of Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy even if it's in Sri Lanka?
It depends on who is awarding you the degree.
If its the Russian school then you may be in luck, as it is FAIMER recognized. However, I would check with not only ECFMG but various licensing bureaus in the US, because not all programs of medical schools are eligible for licensing (for example, some of the English language programs in the former Eastern block are not, whereas the national language programs are).
If the degree is from the Sri Lankan school, it is not listed in FAIMER.
I mean this is affliated and kind of like an external degree and NNSMA approves the first 4 years as if done in their own campus and shouldn't FAIMER do the same?
Not necessarily. FAIMER does not accredite medical schools and ECFMG has been loathe to accept degrees from such affiliated programs because there is no guarantee of quality measures (ie, if you spend several years outside the country which awards your degree how do they know what you are being taught?).
"FAIMER lists schools which are recognized by the appropriate government agency in the countries in which they are located. The agency responsible for this recognition in most countries is the Ministry of Health. FAIMER is not an accrediting agency. Listing of a medical school in IMED does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement by FAIMER."
"A medical school is listed in IMED after FAIMER receives confirmation from the Ministry of Health or other appropriate agency that the Ministry or agency has recognized that school. FAIMER also updates IMED as new information about medical schools is received from Ministries of Health or other appropriate agencies."
Interestingly, the medical school in Russia states that its English language program is 6 years in length and I can find no mention of any affiliation with Sri Lanka. There are some email addresses on their website, you might try contacting the faculty and see what they say, along with ECFMG and some US state licensing bureaus. I suspect this program is too new for anyone to have any experience or rules about it yet.
ECFMG also requires that you spend the majority of your time in the country where the degree is awarded. So, if the degree is awarded by the Russian school, you must spend X years of your degree in Russia. If the degree is from the Sri Lankan school, you must spend the majority of your years there - which you do in this program, but then you run into the circular problem that the Sri Lankan school is not listed by FAIMER.
Does this mean that I can't practice in USA if I do a medical egree in a college not listed in FAIMER but affiliated with a FAIMER listed school?(external degree)
I don't know the answer to that but essentially that is what I am implying. I am willing to bet that most residency and fellowship programs will defer you to ECFMG and that ECFMG will tell you that if the school is not listed on FAIMER, then you are not eligible. That doesn't mean that the program won't be listed, but you are taking a risk that it will be someday.
Do not let your desires to be a physician be so strong that you allow yourself to be duped - these programs are all over the place. You must do a lot of research and don't rely on what I tell you either. Make sure you verify everything I tell you and get primary source information.
If you can't get into a Sri Lankan school, there are hundreds elsewhere worldwide that ARE listed on FAIMER, that should be your first step if you want to work in the US - making sure your school is listed.
