The Board is seeking a rule change that would require all international medical graduates (IMGs) to use the Federation Verification Credentialing Service (FCVS) when applying for an initial, full North Carolina medical license. The Board tentatively expects the change to be in effect Oct. 1.
Currently, the NCMB requires all applicants who have a previously established FCVS profile to have that profile submitted when they seek licensure in North Carolina. After careful consideration, the Board decided to require all IMGs to use FCVS based on several factors, including:
- FCVS’s expertise in credentialing IMGs
- FCVS’s ability to provide Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification, which is required of all IMGs
- A majority (75 percent) of IMG applicants in NC already use FCVS
- Improvements in FCVS’s cycle time for initial applications
The Board approved the necessary rule changes at its January meeting and will file them for consideration by the NC Rules Review Commission. The Board has requested an effective date of October 1, 2011. Established in 1996 by the Federation of State Medical Boards, FCVS establishes a permanent repository of primary-source verified credentials for physicians and physician assistants, saving duplicate efforts by state medical boards.
FCVS collects and stores high-quality, primary-source verification of core credentials, including physician identity, medical education, graduate medical education, examination history, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certification and disciplinary history. Primary-source verification ensures that state medical boards receive information verified directly from the source, eliminating the potential for fraudulent documentation.
More information about FCVS.
