Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
ECFMG partners with the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe (MDPCZ) to primary-source verify medical credentials of internationally educated physicians who are applying for registration to practice medicine in Zimbabwe. If you are applying for registration with the MDPCZ and you obtained your basic medical qualification in a country other than Zimbabwe, you must have certain required medical credentials verified through EPIC.
To have your credentials verified through EPIC, complete the following steps:
To be eligible for registration with the MDPCZ, your medical school should be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (World Directory) . The listing should include a Sponsor Note that states students and graduates of the medical school are eligible to apply for ECFMG Certification.
Note: Medical schools in the United States and Canada will not have an ECFMG Sponsor Note but they are acceptable if they are listed in the World Directory.
See Getting Started with EPIC for complete instructions. Once ECFMG has processed your request and established your EPIC Account, ECFMG will e-mail you login information so you can access your EPIC Account.
See Confirming Your Identity with EPIC for detailed information. Confirming your identity with EPIC requires you to submit an EPIC Identification Form (EIF). Once this form has been accepted by ECFMG, you will be able to upload credentials required by the MDPCZ to EPIC for primary-source verification.
Log in to your EPIC Account and upload the required credentials for primary-source verification. See Credentials Required by the MDPCZ below to determine which credentials you need to upload. As you upload each credential, be sure to select the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe to receive an EPIC Report once the credential is verified. Because the MDPCZ has requested to be notified when their applicants' credentials have been sent for verification through EPIC, a notification will be provided to the MDPCZ when your credential is sent for verification. This notification will include a copy of the credential that you have submitted for verification.
If you do not select the MDPCZ to receive an EPIC Report on a credential at the time you upload it, you will be required to send an EPIC Report to the MDPCZ once your credential is verified.
Note on Qualifications Previously Verified by ECFMG
If your credentials have already been primary-source verified by ECFMG for ECFMG Certification or through ECFMG’s International Credentials Services (EICS), you do not need to upload the credentials that were previously verified by ECFMG. These credentials will be added to your EPIC Portfolio at no cost. Simply provide your ECFMG/USMLE ID and/or EICS ID when you establish your EPIC Account. ECFMG will review your file typically within 10 business days; if your file is acceptable, ECFMG will add your previously verified credentials to your EPIC Portfolio. After your credentials have been added to your EPIC Portfolio, you can log in to your account and request EPIC Reports on those credentials for the MDPCZ, then proceed to Step 5.
If you selected the MDPCZ to receive an EPIC Report when a credential was uploaded, that report will be sent to the MDPCZ automatically when the credential is verified.
If you did not select the MDPCZ to receive an EPIC Report at the time you uploaded a credential, you must go to the “My Reports” tab in your EPIC Account and request an EPIC Report for the MDPCZ.
Once reports on all of your required credentials have been sent to MDPCZ, you can submit your application for the MDPCZ registration examination. You should not submit your application to the MDPCZ until all of your required credentials have been verified.
Credentials required by the MDPCZ are:
For a full accounting of EPIC Fees and Payment methods, please visit the EPIC Fees page.
If you have any questions regarding EPIC or the credential verification process, please contact EPIC at info@ecfmgepic.org or +1 (215) 966-3900. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States.
For more information on applying to the MDPCZ for registration to practice medicine in Zimbabwe, please visit the MDPCZ website or contact the MDPCZ at administrator@mdpcz.co.zw.
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Please also read the general Frequently Asked Questions for Physicians.
1. I am applying to the MDPCZ for registration; do I need to use EPIC?
Medical graduates applying for registration to the MDPCZ who obtained their basic medical qualification outside of Zimbabwe will need to create an EPIC Account and have their credentials primary-source verified through EPIC.
2. Which credentials do I need to submit to the MDPCZ through EPIC?
The following credentials are required in support of your application to the MDPCZ:
If you have questions regarding the credentials you are required to submit, please visit the MDPCZ website or contact the MDPCZ at administrator@mdpcz.co.zw.
3. How far in advance of applying for registration to the MDPCZ do I need to upload my credentials to EPIC?
We recommend that you create an EPIC Account and upload your credentials to EPIC as soon as possible after you have decided to apply to the MDPCZ. Through EPIC, your credentials are verified directly with the issuing institution. The time required to complete the verification of credentials varies and depends on a number of factors, including the time it takes for the issuing institution to respond to our verification requests. You should not apply to the MDPCZ until all of your required credentials have been verified through EPIC.
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1. Will I have access to my medical credentials after I apply to the MDPCZ?
Yes. The credentials that you upload to EPIC remain available to you as part of your EPIC Portfolio. You can use EPIC to send copies of these credentials along with reports verifying their authenticity to organizations worldwide at any time throughout your career.
2. Will the MDPCZ have access to my EPIC Portfolio?
No. The MDPCZ will not have direct access to your EPIC Portfolio. The MDPCZ will have access only to the verification reports and copies of your credentials that you make available to them through EPIC.
3. I requested that EPIC Reports on my verified credentials be provided to the MDPCZ. How do I know if the MDPCZ received the verification reports and copies of my credentials?
Once your credentials have been verified and EPIC Reports have been sent to the MDPCZ, the MDPCZ will have access to the reports and copies of your credentials through the EPIC Report Portal. If you need to confirm whether the MDPCZ has accessed your reports through the Report Portal, contact the MDPCZ at administrator@mdpcz.co.zw.
4. Do I need to use EPIC when applying to the MDPCZ if my credentials have already been verified by ECFMG for a purpose other than applying to the MDPCZ?
If your credentials have already been primary-source verified by ECFMG for ECFMG Certification or through ECFMG’s International Credentials Services (EICS), you will need to create an EPIC Account and use EPIC to provide your credentials and verification reports to the MDPCZ. However, you will not need to upload the credentials that were previously verified by ECFMG; they will be added to your EPIC Account at no cost. Simply provide your ECFMG/USMLE ID and/or EICS ID when you establish your EPIC Account. ECFMG will review your file typically within 10 business days; if your file is acceptable, ECFMG will add your previously verified credentials to your EPIC Portfolio. After your credentials have been added to your EPIC Portfolio, you can log in to your account and request EPIC Reports on those credentials for the MDPCZ.
5. If I have questions or problems regarding EPIC, should I contact EPIC or the MDPCZ?
If you have questions regarding EPIC’s services—such as creating an EPIC Account, uploading your credentials, managing your portfolio, the verification process, sending verification reports, or fees—please contact EPIC at info@ecfmgepic.org or +1 (215) 966-3900. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States.
For more information on applying to the MDPCZ for registration to practice medicine in Zimbabwe, please visit the MDPCZ website or contact the MDPCZ at administrator@mdpcz.co.zw.
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[Last update: October 25, 2022]
