U.S. Medical Licensure Requirements

To practice clinical medicine in an unsupervised setting, all physicians (domestic and international graduates) must be licensed. There are two main requirements for licensure in the United States:

Residency

Some period of postgraduate training—or "residency"—in a U.S. program is required in all states. Both IMG's and US grads must complete residency training in order to be eligible for "board certification." Learn more about residency programs

Licensing Exams

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) consists of three steps designed to assess a physician's ability to apply a broad spectrum of knowledge, concepts, and principles that in turn evaluate the physician's basic patient-centered skills. Learn more: