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- By Hitender Rao
How Indian Doctors Get a Medical License in the US
In India, it is quite an achievement to graduate from medical school, given that many students come from modest socio-economic backgrounds.
It’s an even higher hurdle for foreign medical graduates to turn that degree into a license to practice medicine in the U.S.
“For a [foreign medical graduate] to come to this country, they have to be among the best students in their native country,” said Anupam B. Jena, an Indian American who is an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. Jena is also a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
The standards for acceptance into a U.S. residency program are high for international applicants. An international medical graduate (IMG) describes a U.S. citizen or green card holder who obtained their degree outside the U.S., while a foreign medical graduate (FMG) describes a foreigner who completes a degree in their country of origin.
Indian FMGs in the U.S. are composed of India’s topmost students, Jena said.
So how does someone with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and a post-graduate degree from an Indian institution practice medicine in the U.S.?
It starts with gaining certification from the U.S. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, which measures whether FMGs are prepared for a residency program in the U.S.
Graduates must next complete the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The exams determine an IMG’s or FMG’s medical knowledge and skills in line with standards and practices in the U.S. The USMLE website describes it as a three-step exam that evaluates an applicant’s basic medical and scientific knowledge, clinical knowledge and clinical skills. It takes years to achieve medical licensure, but must be accomplished within seven years.
Costs to attain medical licensure through the USMLE vary with each stage of the examination, but it totals about $4,000.
“The biggest hurdle is getting admission into a U.S. residency training program,” Jena said.
Many Indian medical students participate in internships, unpaid or paid, in the U.S., where they shadow physicians and learn more about U.S. health care and medicine, he said.
Jena urged Indian doctors to apply to at least 30 health care programs in the U.S., to ensure at least five to 10 interviews for employment.
Applicants travel to each hospital for in-person interviews, said Rachana Gavara, an Indian American obstetrician-gynecologist at New York-Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital who studied medicine in India and immigrated to the U.S. in 2000.
“There are certain specialties which are much easier for foreign medical grads to get into like internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, family medicine,” Gavara said.
“Some specialties, like the neurosurgery, dermatology, radiology orthopedics, burns and plastics are very competitive,” said Gavara, who was a post-doctoral fellow at Cornell University for three years.
Medical licenses are issued on a state-by-state basis by a medical board, so a doctor would apply in the state in which they intend to work. Licenses must be renewed every two years.
With those milestones achieved, and after completing residency training in a U.S. program, medical practitioners can practice independently in the U.S.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
- By VOA News
STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
- By VOA News
British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
