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

House Officer selection criteria conforms to ACGME Institutional and Program Requirements where applicable. House Officers are selected by Program Directors from an applicant pool in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) or from NRMP Specialty Matching Services Programs.
United States Citizens, Permanent Residents of the US, and J1 Visa holders sponsored by the ECFMG are the only applicants eligible for selection. As noted in Chancellor's Memorandum 39 (CM-39), ECFMG sponsorship as a J-1 exchange visitor is the appropriate and only mechanism whereby foreign physicians may enter graduate medical education/training Programs at LSU Health Sciences Center.
First year House Officers must match through the NRMP Programs. Candidates may compete and be appointed individually only in the absence of an NRMP Matching Program in a particular discipline or at an advanced level of appointment. Such candidates must meet all ACGME Institutional and Program Requirements for selection of House Officers.
House Officers must be:

• Graduates of medical schools in the United States and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)
• Graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOACOCA)
• Graduates of medical schools outside the United States who have a 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 are 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 that meet the ACGME Resident Eligibility Exception Requirement must be approved by GMEC and the DIO before the candidate is ranked or offered a training position. Those accepted must have a Milestones Assessment completed by the program on their performance within 90 days of matriculation.
Eligible House Officer candidates are selected by Programs based on their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. The number of House Officers accepted depends on available educational opportunities, 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 ACGME Review Committees (RC). The Graduate Medical Education Committee and the Academic Dean supervise the overall number of positions offered and the individual House Officer quota 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 a DDS license for General Practice Dentistry residents 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. Temporary permits (Visiting Resident Permits) also may be issued for certain foreign 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. The GME Office refers all questions regarding visas to the LSUHSC Office of Governmental Relations to ensure compliance with all institutional, state, and Federal rules and regulations.