The Commission on International Medical Graduates (IMG) was organized as a liaison to the Oklahoma State Medical Association on matters impacting all international medical graduate physicians practicing in Oklahoma.

The Commission on International Medical Graduates provides outreach and a communication vehicle between the OSMA and IMGs, works on increasing OSMA IMG membership, and represents OSMA IMGs in the AMA House of Delegates.

Mini-Externship Program:

The IMG Commission Council of the OSMA established a "Mini Externship" program for IMG’s who are seeking residency positions in the USA. The purpose of this Externship is to help the IMG (residency) candidates to learn the methodology of obtaining a patient’s medical history and conduct patients’ physical examinations, as it is being done in this country, since this may be different from the country of their medical training. They will learn these only by observing the sponsoring physician and without any direct contact with the patient or patients’ medical records.

E.C.F.M.G. started a "Clinical Skill Assessment" test to evaluate the clinical competence and ability to communicate effectively in the English language (beginning July, 1998). This test requires the candidate to take a history, conduct physical examinations, and present a treatment plan for the "model patient". The test will certainly require a working knowledge of commonly used terminologies, understanding the accent, and understanding the appropriate method of conducting a physical examination of the patient.

Sponsoring OSMA members will be physicians who have established practices in our state and who are duly licensed to practice medicine in Oklahoma. They will agree to participate in this program voluntarily. Each sponsor physician will accept one Extern for a period of three weeks. An Extern will be allowed to have four such (3 week) rotations each with a sponsor in different specialties.

Each volunteer sponsor physician may allow this Extern to accompany him/her to the office and/or hospital under his/her own responsibility. The sponsor physician will obtain the necessary permission from the hospital administration or medical director for allowing the Extern to accompany him/her to the hospital. The sponsoring physician will see to it that the Extern does not directly engage in physical examinations or performance of any procedures on a patient.

Upon completion of the Externship rotations (twelve weeks), the IMG Council of the OSMA (upon receipt of letters from sponsor physicians), will give a letter to the Extern indicating the number of weeks as well as physicians and their medical specialties.

The OSMA will not bear any expense nor have any direct responsibility for this Externship or for the Externs. The IMG Council will only direct the Externship candidates to the appropriate sponsor physicians.