Credentialing Procedure for Springfield Residents

The term “resident” is inclusive of all trainees at SIU School of Medicine, whether training in a residency or fellowship program. The term "program" is inclusive to all SIU residency or fellowship programs, whether accredited or non-accredited. The Medical Staff, Administration, and Governing Boards of Springfield Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. John’s Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Affiliated Hospitals) have overall responsibility for the quality of professional services provided by individuals with clinical privileges. Resident physicians have certain privileges delineated by the Affiliated Hospitals as recommended by SIU School of Medicine. The resident physicians receive their compensation and professional liability insurance from the Affiliated Hospitals. Therefore, each Affiliated Hospital also has certain responsibility for verifying qualifications of the residents.

An applicant’s credentials must be approved before they can be submitted to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) or before an employment contract can be offered. If an applicant has previously been in an accredited GME program, the Program Director is strongly encouraged to make personal contact with the program directors or other individuals able to evaluate the applicant’s performance at their previous training programs, and consult with the DIO before proceeding with credentialing. If an applicant has high risk indicators, the Program Director is strongly encouraged to consult with the DIO before proceeding with credentialing.

The following credentialing process is outlined to qualify new resident physicians for clinical privileges:

All applications must include the following:

1. Application for residency
2. Dean’s letter and/or official transcripts
3. At least three letters of recommendation
4. USMLE or COMLEX scores

Applications are screened by the program. Qualifications are set by each program, and applicants meeting those standards may be invited for an interview. Each program has a selection committee that ranks their applicants according to priority. Hospital department chairs are invited to attend this meeting.

After ranking possible candidates, the program director prepares a letter stating that the applicants have been through the interview process. The letter identifies candidates that are acceptable to the residency program and who have satisfactory credentials. A list of the names of all such acceptable candidates will be provided in the letter or on a separate applicant roster. (If a resident is being considered for an advanced level of training, refer to the policy on resident transfers for directions.) Three copies of a flash drive containing an application packet for each candidate are forwarded by the program to the Office of Graduate Medical Education (OGME) along with three copies of the program director’s letter (and applicant roster if applicable).

After OGME staff has reviewed the credentialing materials for completeness, a copy is sent to the Affiliated Hospitals for their evaluation and approval. The Affiliated Hospitals’ Department Chairs and Medical Staff Officer may review each file or accept the Program Director’s letter that the credentials provided are satisfactory. The Hospital Department Chair or Medical Staff Officer indicates acceptance or rejection of the applicants as listed on the residency program director’s letter or applicant roster, and then returns an approval form to OGME. The credentialing process is complete at this time and programs can move forward with ranking the candidates and/or issuing a letter of offer.

International Medical School Graduates and ECFMG Certification

All International Medical Graduates (IMGs) must hold a valid ECFMG certificate to be eligible for SIU residency positions and to receive an Illinois medical license. To receive an ECFMG certificate the IMG must pass USMLE Steps I and II and the physician's medical school and graduation year must be listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED).

In order to receive a visa for an International Medical Graduate who is not a permanent US resident or who does not hold other valid work authorization, it is necessary to submit an application and supporting documentation to the ECFMG Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program to obtain a J-1 Visa. A requirement of the J-1 visa is that the resident must return to their home country for two years upon completion of GME training.

The ECFMG office is located at 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2685. The telephone number is 215-823-2121. Current information and forms are available on the internet at http://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/index.html .

For additional information about visas, go to the GME webpage for International Medical School Graduates.