Med School Minutes

In this episode, our host, Kaushik Guha and his guest discuss the importance of accreditation of a medical school for students. We discuss the difficulties and challenges in obtaining the accreditation, who the accrediting bodies are and what can students do to ensure that their school is accredited.
Guests:  
Dr. Kallol Guha- CEO of Saint James School of Medicine
Dr. Juan Ramirez- Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs

Try your hand at this USMLE prep question and comment on what you think the correct answer is below. 

Question: A 22-year-old female comes to the clinic for smoking cessation. She has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes per day for the past 7 years. She has tried to stop smoking using the nicotine gum and patch but she was unsuccessful. The patient has no other complaints. She is a social drinker and denies any illicit drug use. Her past medical history is significant for bulimia nervosa and anxiety diagnosed during her adolescence. 

a. Bupropion

b. Varenicline

c. Nicotine lozenge

d. Cognitive behavioral therapy

e. Buprenorphine

Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel (@ Saint James School of Medicine) where we post the correct answer as well as a breakdown of this week's question with our amazing USMLE counselors!

The Education Commission on Foreign Medical Education (ECFMG) is the primary body in the United States that oversees the policies and regulation around licensing International Medical Graduates (IMGs).  In order to take the USMLEs, and to apply for residency all IMGs must be certified by ECFMG.  This certification typically takes place after the completion of the 2nd year of a medical program, and before taking the USMLE Step 1 examination.

It’s a common misconception that ECFMG accredits schools. That is not true. ECFMG does not conduct visits and inspections to determine the quality of education. As long as a local government recognizes a business entity as a school, ECFMG has had no problems certifying them until now. With this new rule ECFMG will be leaning on recognized accrediting bodies to ensure that students get the quality of education they need and deserve.  

In 2010, the ECFMG announced a new requirement that will become effective in the year 2024 (was set for 2023 but was moved to 2024 due to COVID).  The new rule states that “starting in 2024, individuals applying for ECFMG Certification must be a student or graduate of a medical school that is appropriately accredited. More specifically, the school must be accredited by an accrediting agency that is officially recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).”

In this episode, our Guest, Dr. DeJuan Kinchelow, talks about a common USMLE topic of Endometriosis. We will discuss in detail a typical case and will provide insights into best way to answer these questions.  

In this episode we discuss the changes to the USMLE Step 1 and the subsequent changes in the NBME. This change is one of the rare major changes by the USMLE and it will have a significant impact on the students, their ability to move from Basic Sciences and into the Clinical Sciences.  This change will also impact how the students are evaluated during the residency interviews.
Host- Kaushik Guha, Executive Vice President of Saint James School of Medicine
Guest- Dr. Devang Gujarathi, Dean of Clinical Sciences for Saint James School of Medicine.

Med School Minutes Podcast is where we discuss everything regarding medical student education, with emphasis on IMGs (International Medical Graduates).