ACR Support

Revision History

An international medical graduate (IMG) is defined as an individual who successfully completed and received a medical degree from a program outside the U.S., its territories, or Canada.

Any IMG who is certified by the ABR or who completes a radiology residency program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) must meet the initial qualifications as defined for radiologists. Any IMG who has not completed an ACGME- or RCPSC-approved radiology residency and began practicing in the U.S. after December 31, 2002 must be an active candidate in good standing for certification by the American Board of Radiology (ABR) under the ABR IMG Alternative Pathway and must provide a letter from the ABR verifying their status. Any IMG who has applied but not received formal acceptance from the ABR must provide documentation that he/she has initiated the application process. These individuals will have one year from the date of application to provide the acceptance letter from the ABR to the ACR.

The ABR mandates that these candidates take and pass the board examination within 10 years of completion of their four-year qualification period. Individuals who do not pass the examination by the end of 10 years or fail to successfully complete the four-year qualification period are no longer considered active candidates in good standing. However, if an individual successfully completes the four-year qualification period but fails to pass the board examination, and continuously remains at an ACR-accredited institution and continues to meet all CME and experience requirements for accreditation, he/she will remain qualified for the purposes of ACR accreditation. The qualifications of individuals who cannot demonstrate continued practice at an ACR-accredited institution will be reviewed and assessed independently.

Any IMG who began practicing in the US on or before December 31, 2002, must have successfully completed four continuous years as a full-time faculty member of a radiology department with an ACGME-approved residency and must provide to the ACR the following documents:

• Current, detailed curriculum vitae with specific dates of all training

• Verification of medical school training and foreign clinical year of training

• Verification of foreign radiology residency training and board certification

• Verification of full-time faculty appointment in an institution with an ACGME- or RCPSC-approved diagnostic radiology residency training program

The ACR will review each physician’s documentation for compliance and provide a letter indicating approval or non-approval. In the case of non-approval, the missing or inadequate documentation will be indicated. If the candidate provides additional documentation, the ACR will reconsider the application. Please send correspondence to the ACR, Attn: Krista Bush.

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