IV.K. House Officer Recruitment, Eligibility, and Selection Policy

House Officer selection criteria conforms to the guidelines of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Institutional and Program Requirements where applicable.

ECFMG sponsorship as a J-1 exchange visitor is the preferred mechanism whereby foreign physicians may enter graduate medical education/training Programs at the LSU Health Sciences Center. Although alternative visa and work authorizations may be acceptable as detailed in Chancellor Memorandum 39 (“CM-39”) https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/cm/cm-39.pdf, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans will not sponsor H-1B status or otherwise act as a petitioning employer or immigration sponsor to obtain a suitable work authorized immigration status.

House Officers are selected by training programs using an applicant pool from various Application Systems, (ERAS-PDWS, CAS (for San Francisco Match), ResidencyCAS (OB/GYN), or other application processes).  Applicants selected are ranked in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), from NRMP Specialty Matching Services Programs for Ranking and Matching, or ranked in other specialty required systems (for example, Bariatric Surgery participates in the Bariatric Surgery Fellowship Match; Ophthalmology participates in the San Francisco Match, the cardiology fellowship and Psychiatry Forensic receive a standard specialty application, not an electronic system). Only in the absence of a matching program in a particular discipline or at an advanced level of appointment, may candidates compete and be appointed individually. Such candidates must meet all the ACGME Institutional and Program Requirements for selection of House Officers.

House Officers must be (1) graduates of medical schools in the United States and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); (2) graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOACOCA); (3) graduates of medical schools outside the United States who have received a currently valid certificate from the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment or have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a United States licensing jurisdiction in which the ACGME-accredited Program is located; or (4) graduates of medical schools outside the United States who have completed a Fifth Pathway Program by an LCME-accredited medical school.

All fellow eligibility exceptions meeting the ACGME Resident Eligibility Exception Requirement must have prior GMEC and DIO approval before ranking the candidate or offering a training position.

Eligible House Officer candidates are selected based on their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. The number and apportionment of House Officers will depend on educational opportunities, the patient population, levels of illnesses, types of procedures, number of staff available for supervision, financial resources of in-patient and out-patient care facilities, and recommendations of the Residency Review Committees (RRC). The Graduate Medical Education Committee and the Academic Dean supervise the overall number of positions offered and the apportionment of House Officers among services and Departments.

All House Officer trainees must have a valid active license or permit to practice medicine in the State of Louisiana, or DDS license in the case of Dental resident and pre-MD Oral Surgery residents. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners issues temporary training permits to qualified post-graduate year 1 level trainees. Graduate Educational Temporary permits (GETP) also may be issued for certain international medical graduates entering the U.S. on J-1 visas. Foreign citizen trainees must have standard Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification. Rules and regulations regarding trainees with visas frequently change. When questions regarding visas arise the GME Office will refer all questions to the LSUHSC Office of Governmental Relations for final determination to ensure compliance with all institutional, state, and Federal rules and regulations. 

Requirements for medical licensure change periodically. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) requires passage of USMLE Step 3 before the end of the PGY 2 year to issue a permit or license to begin PGY 3 training. Because of the wait times between sitting for the USMLE and the reporting time, House Officers not passing USMLE Step 3 by March 1 of their PGY 2 are subject to automatic non-renewal of their contract to enter the PGY 3. Some Programs may have more restrictive policies. The rules for how many times the USMLE can be taken and the waiting times required between sitting for the test change. For this reason, the House Officer is urged to regularly review these specific rules.

All applicants and trainees must contact the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) regarding required examinations and documentation necessary for any form of training permits and licensure.

As part of the licensure process, the LSBME uses a service of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) called the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS). Once House Officers have applied for permit / licensure, the School of Medicine training Programs will complete an updated FCVS form on each House Officer each year so that at graduation, FCVS has a completed record on the trainee that will facilitate credentialing in the House Officers later professional career. At the start of residency, House Officers will sign a release for all years of training.

All written agreements of appointment/contracts are for one year and each House Officer must be reappointed for each subsequent year of training, contingent upon satisfactory completion of the current post-graduate year and assurance that all requirements are met for progression. Contract renewal is subject to mutual written consent of the Department Head and the House Officer. A contract renewal must be made in a timely manner in accordance with ACGME requirements as outlined in the School of Medicine Policy and Procedure Manual and with dates set by the GME Office. (GMEC September 2024

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