Only applicants who meet the following qualifications are eligible for appointment to accredited residency programs sponsored by the Hospital.

Medical Education

Only applicants who meet one of the following qualifications to be eligible for appointment to an ACGME-accredited program: 

Graduation from a medical school in the United States or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)

Graduation from a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOACOCA)

Graduation from a medical school outside the United States or Canada and meeting one of the following additional qualifications:

• Holding  a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment
• Holding a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine 644 in the United States licensing jurisdiction in which the ACGME-accredited program is located

Entry of Foreign-Born Medical Graduates to the United States

• Residency program directors considering foreign-born applicants should carefully review the applicant’s visa status to ensure the applicant holds a visa valid for graduate medical education [exchange visitor (J-1), or immigrant visa]. International medical graduates must also hold a currently valid Standard Certificate of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).  LSU Health Shreveport does not sponsor H1-Bs for training purposes. 
• The Office of Legal Affairs must be notified of all non-US citizens accepted for residency training. Legal Affairs will ensure the Resident holds an appropriate visa and assist in processing the paperwork required for visas for residency training at LSU Health Shreveport. 

Prerequisite Residency Training

All applicants must satisfy any requirements for prerequisite residency training, as established by the relevant Residency Review Committee and/or certifying board for the specialty. If a program director wishes to recruit an applicant who does not meet the criteria established for prerequisite training, written approval to appoint the applicant as a Resident must be obtained from the Residency Review Committee and/or certifying board.  All prerequisite post-graduate clinical education required for initial entry or transfer into ACGME-accredited residency programs must be completed in ACGME-accredited residency programs, AOA-approved residency programs, or in Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)-accredited or College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) - accredited residency programs located in Canada, or in residency programs with ACGME International (ACGME-I) Advanced Specialty Accreditation.

• Residency programs must receive verification of each resident’s level of competency in the required clinical field using ACGME, CanMEDS, or ACGME-I Milestones evaluations from the prior training program upon matriculation.
• A physician who has completed a residency program that was not accredited by ACGME, AOA, RCPSC, CFPC, or ACGME-I (with Advanced Specialty Accreditation) may enter an ACGME-accredited residency program in the same specialty at the PGY-1 level and, at the discretion of the program director of the ACGME-accredited program and with approval by the GMEC, may be advanced to the PGY-2 level based on ACGME Milestones evaluations assessments at the ACGME accredited program. This provision applies only to entry into residency in those specialties for which an initial clinical year is not required for entry.

Resident Eligibility Exception

• The Review Committee for the appropriate program will allow the following exception to the resident eligibility requirements:
• An ACGME-accredited residency program may accept an exceptionally qualified international graduate applicant who does not satisfy the eligibility requirements listed but who does meet all of the following additional qualifications and conditions:
      Evaluation by the program director and residency selection committee of the applicant’s suitability to enter the program, based on prior training 
         and review of the summative evaluations of this training; and
      Review and approval of the applicant’s exceptional qualifications by the GMEC; and
      Verification of Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification
• Applicants accepted through this exception must have an evaluation of their performance by the Clinical Competency Committee within 12 weeks of matriculation.

Fellowship Eligibility