Indian doctors can now pursue US Board certification without US internal medicine residency under new ABIM Pathway

New Delhi: Indian doctors, who have completed their residency in their home country, are now allowed to practice medicine in the USA as the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has launched a pilot pathway for the certification of international medical graduates who completed their residency abroad.

According to the conditions laid down by ABIM, such doctors must have completed at least 3 years of internal medicine training abroad (outside of the U.S or Canada) and have been accepted into an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited fellowship in an ABIM subspecialty.

Further, such candidates must have been accepted into the fellowship as an "exceptionally qualified candidate" as per the ACGME criteria or as a graduate of an ACGME-Internal residency program.

Other requirements include commencing the Fellowship training on July 1, 2016, or later and having a valid Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate.

ABIM, founded in 1936, certifies and supports internists and subspecialists by offering board certification, continuous Maintenance of Certification (MOC) tracking, exam resources, and practice assessment guidance. It is a physician-led, nonprofit, independent evaluation organization driven by physicians.

According to the Standard Pathway for ABIM certification, the candidates must follow the traditional route, requiring the completion of a full, accredited 3-year Internal Medicine residency program within the United States or Canada.

However, ABIM has introduced several special consideration pathways as well. ABIM has notified a CBME Pilot Pathway for International Medical Graduates who have completed a Medicine Residency Abroad and an ACGME-Accredited Fellowship.

Under this pathway, a graduate of an ACGME-accredited fellowship in a speciality in which ABIM certifies who has successfully completed training in an internal medicine residency abroad may become eligible to achieve ABIM Board Certification in Internal Medicine as a candidate for special consideration.

Such candidates must first become certified by ABIM in internal medicine before applying for a subspecialty exam.

Who is eligible?

Candidates fulfilling the following requirements will be considered eligible:

√ Successfully completed three years of verified graduate medical education training in internal medicine abroad (outside of the U.S. or Canada).

√ Been accepted into an ACGME-accredited fellowship in an ABIM specialty as an “exceptionally qualified candidate” (see ACGME Common Program Requirements (Fellowship), 3.2.b.) or as a graduate of an ACGME-International residency program.

√ Satisfactorily completed all required subspecialty training in the ACGME-accredited fellowship, which has been attested to by the program director in ABIM's FasTrack Clinical Competence Evaluation System.

√ Fellowship training must have started on July 1, 2016, or later.

√ Fulfilled ABIM’s licensure requirements at the time of examination.

√ Have a valid Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate.

Along with the complete and signed pathway application, such candidates will have to submit the following documentation:

• A proposal letter from the chair of the Department of Medicine, program director, or DIO, confirming:

    ° The candidate completed ACGME-accredited subspecialty fellowship training in an ABIM specialty in good standing with the program. (Note: ABIM will also verify training with the program director via the FasTrack Clinical Competence Evaluation System.) - Fellowship training must have started on July 1, 2016, or later.

• The candidate was accepted into the fellowship program as an “exceptionally qualified candidate” per ACGME criteria (see ACGME Common Program Requirements (Fellowship), 3.2.b. for additional information), or as a graduate of an ACGME-International residency program.

• A letter from the internal medicine program director and/or academic office abroad documenting three or more years of satisfactorily completed training in internal medicine.

• A current curriculum vitae and bibliography

• A copy of a valid ECFMG certificate

Once approved for the Special Consideration Pathway, the candidate may register for the Internal Medicine Certification Examination by signing in to their ABIM Physician Portal during open registration periods.

To view details, click on the link below:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/2026/07/01/special-consideration-pathway-e-application-357029.pdf

Also Read: WFME will not remove the need for PLAB, USMLE, but it will open doors that were otherwise getting shut for Indian Doctors