Eligibility
Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications to be eligible for appointment:
- Graduated from a medical school in the U.S. or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or from a college of osteopathic medicine in the U.S. accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
OR
- Graduated from a medical school outside the U.S. or Canada and meets one of the following additional qualifications:
- Holds a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment. OR,
- Holds a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the U.S. licensing jurisdiction where the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited program is located.
- Completed all prerequisite postgraduate clinical education needed for entry or transfer into ACGME-accredited residency programs, AOA-approved residency programs, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)-accredited or College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)-accredited residency programs in Canada, or in residency programs with ACGME International (ACGME-I) Advanced Specialty Accreditation.
- Has been evaluated on competency level in the required clinical field through ACGME, CanMEDS or ACGME-I Milestones during the prior training program.
Physicians who completed residency programs not accredited by the ACGME, AOA, RCPSC, CFPC or ACGME-I with Advanced Specialty Accreditation may enter an ACGME-accredited residency program in the same specialty at the PGY-1 level. At the discretion of the program director and with approval from the Graduate Medical Education Committee, they may be advanced to the PGY-2 level on ACGME Milestones evaluations at the ACGME residency in those specialties for which an initial clinical year isn’t required for entry.
Application Submission
Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Our program is listed as “Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine/Mercy Program – Transitional Year Program.”
Mercy’s Transitional Year Residency participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). The NRMP match number is:
2295999P0 – Transitional Year – Preliminary
Program Material Requirements
- ERAS application
- Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
- Two letters of recommendation
- Medical school transcript
- Personal statement
- Photograph
- United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) Step/Level 1
- USMLE/COMLEX Step/Level 2 (must be scheduled at the time of application and received no later than January 30)
International Student Applicants
Mercy’s Transitional Year Residency uses the J-1 visa program sponsored by the ECFMG. To be eligible for consideration, the following is required:
- All international medical graduates who enter ACGME-accredited programs must meet ECFMG certification requirements and be certified by the ECFMG.
- To initiate sponsorship applications, applicants must provide their USMLE/ECFMG identification number. Applicants who don’t have this identification number must contact the ECFMG.
- To obtain initial sponsorship in an ACGME-accredited clinical training program, applicants must complete the following documentation checklist.
- Applicants must meet all other requirements outlined for ECFMG certification or Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (EVSP).
