Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, for the Immigrant IMG Task Force
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882
651-201-3838
Program Brief:
UCLA International Medical Graduate (IMG) Program
DRAFT for discussion, August 2014
Summary
Part of the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA’s
medical school, the IMG program helps bilingual
(English/Spanish) IMGs prepare for the USMLEs and
compete for Family Medicine (FM) residencies in
California. The program provides both instruction
and clinical experience, and support in applying to
residency programs. Graduates of the program
commit to practicing for at least 2-3 years in a
California community health center or similar facility
in a medically underserved area (MUA) after
completing a 3-year California FM residency.
For the past 7 years, the program been funded solely
by private sponsors, though it also appears to
receive some support from California’s Medicaid
reform fund. The overall goal of the program is to
increase the number of bilingual and bicultural
Hispanic family physicians practicing in California’s
underserved communities.
Eligibility
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U.S. citizen, permanent resident or permanent
refugee.
At least 3 months residency in California.
Fluency in both written and oral English and
Spanish, with “bi-cultural competency in U.S.
American and Latin-American cultures.”
Medical degree from a school in the IMED and
recognized by the Medical Board of California.
Graduated from medical school in 2005 or
completed a residency program on or after
2003. (Case-by-case exceptions granted if
candidate has exceptional, updated clinical skills
or stellar NBME/USLME test scores).
Must not have failed the USLME more than once
(candidates encouraged not to take it at all
beforehand). Case-by-case consideration of
those who have failed no more than 2 exams.
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Must agree to apply only to Family Medicine
residency programs in California.
Program elements
The program takes 9-21 months (not including
residency and post-residency commitment):
• Prep for Steps 1-3 (see Curriculum, below).
• Clinical observership and hands-on clinical
clerkship (note the clinical clerkship is new as of
2012, when the California Legislature passed a
law allowing this on a pilot basis through 2018).
• Specialized courses in English for the Health
Professions (see Curriculum, below).
• Scholarship stipends, including tuition coverage
for the Kaplan Medical course.
• Counseling and prep for the Match program –
specifically for FM residencies in California. The
program provides at least two letters of
recommendation.
• After residency, the IMG commits to practicing
for at least 2-3 years in a California community
health center or similar facility in a medically
underserved area (MUA).
The curriculum consists of the following in
sequence, with participants meeting certain
requirements to move to subsequent levels.
Applicants may begin at higher program levels if they
meet prerequisites (more detail here).
1. Pre-preparatory
a. Basic Science Review for Step 1
(25 hours/week for 14 weeks).
b. English for Health Professionals
(3 hours/week for 14 weeks).
2. Program A (usually completed in 9 months)
a. Basic Science Review for Step 1
(50 hours/week for 6-9 months).
b. Kaplan tuition and materials paid by the
program.
3. Program B
a. Clinical Sciences/USMLE Step 2
(50 hours/week for 6 months + live clinical
observation).
b. Life Support Certifications.
c. Didactic Clerkship + Observed Simulated
Clinical Exam (OSCE).
d. Grand Rounds at UCLA Santa Monica
Medical Center.
e. English for Health Professionals.
4. Program C
a. Clinical Observership
(60 hours/week for 3 months).
b. English for Health Professionals.
c. Grand Rounds.
Funding
As of 2012, the program’s total budget was $750,000
for 16 participants. The program spends $52,00054,000 per each student going through all phases of
the program, with over 40 percent of that for
stipends. The program has been funded by the
following private sponsors:
• Kaiser Permanente
• UniHealth Foundation
• The California Endowment
• Molina Healthcare Inc.
• New America Alliance
• Kaplan Medical
A July 2014 UCLA release referred to the program
receiving support from the state’s Medicaid reform
fund (the Delivery System Reform Incentive
Program), a pay-for-performance initiative involving
21 public hospitals that receive Medicaid dollars in
exchange for meeting pre-set milestones. (It is
unclear at this time if that support is direct funding
to the program or more indirect support.)
In a June 2014 article, one of the physicians who
founded the program said they were working with a
variety of partners, especially hospitals and health
plans, to develop “creative models for collaboration”
to help address diminishing funding (how funding
was decreasing not specified).
throughout California (roughly 12 per year). In June
2014, 16 graduates were matched to residencies. In
2010, UCLA IMG graduates represented 13 of 28
IMGs (46 percent) placed in family medicine
residencies in the state.
History
The program was started as a pilot in 2006 by Patrick
T. Dowling, chair of the Department of Family
Medicine, and Michelle Anne Bholat, vice chair of
family medicine and executive director of the IMG
program.
After its first year, administrators hoped to expand
enrollment and replicate the program at other UC
campuses, but that has yet to happen. Other
universities outside California, including the
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San
Antonio, are considering developing similar
programs based on this model.
Additional detail/resources
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Program website: UCLA IMG Program
Relevant legislation: 2012 California law
authorizing clinical clerkships for participants.
Articles:
• American Medical Association, Program helps
Hispanic IMGs qualify for U.S. residencies, March
3, 2008.
• Los Angeles Daily News, How a UCLA program is
training foreign, immigrant doctors to work in
the U.S., June 2, 2014.
• Physicians News Network, IMG Graduates Ready
to Serve LA’s Underserved Communities, July 6,
2014.
• UCLA Newsroom, UCLA program puts Spanishspeaking international medical grads on pathway
to practice, July 31, 2014.
• UCLA U Magazine, Foreign Aid, Spring/Summer
2012.
• Wall Street Journal, Pilot Program Aims to Train
Spanish-Speaking Doctors, December 18, 2007.
Outcomes
Between 2007 and 2014, the program has placed 82
IMGs in Family Medicine residency positions
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