Non-Standard Training
- Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines
- Summary of Discussions on J-1 Sponsorship Issues Regarding Non-Standard Programs
- Application Materials
Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines
The member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) are viewed as the subject matter experts on educational developments within their respective medical specialties. The following list outlines those non-standard disciplines currently recognized by ABMS boards for the purpose of J-1 sponsorship.
All questions pertaining to board policies, procedures, and additional non-standard disciplines should be forwarded to the specific ABMS boards. See Web links below.
Anesthesiology
www.theaba.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Anesthesia for out-patient surgery | |
| Cardiothoracic anesthesia | |
| Neuroanesthesia | |
| Obstetric anesthesia | |
| Recovery room care | |
| Regional anesthesia |
Dermatology
www.abderm.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Applications of laser to dermatology & cutaneous biology | |
| Clinical educator in dermatology | |
| Cosmetic dermatology | |
| Cutaneous oncology | |
| Cutaneous photobiology | |
| Dermatologic surgery | |
| Dermatology Investigative/Academic Research Training Track | |
| Dermatopharmacology | |
| Epidemiology | |
| Immunodermatology | |
| Mohs micrographic surgery |
Family Medicine
www.theabfm.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Hospice medicine | |
| Hospital care | |
| Obstetrics | |
| Palliative care | |
| Rural health | |
| Women's health |
Internal Medicine
www.abim.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship |
| Cardiovascular Disease |
| Advanced cardiac electrophysiology |
| Advanced cardiovascular disease (Academic/research track) |
| Advanced catheterization (Academic/research track) |
| Cardiac arrhythmia |
| Cardiac critical care |
| Cardiac imaging (including Cardiac CT/MRI) |
| Cardiac pacemakers & pacing |
| Cardiac rehabilitation |
| Congenital heart disease in adults |
| Diagnostic cardiovascular disease |
| Echocardiography |
| Geriatric cardiology |
| Heart failure |
| Non-invasive cardiology |
| Nuclear cardiology |
| Preventive cardiology |
| Transplantation cardiology |
| Vascular brachytherapy |
| Vascular diagnostic and interventional |
| Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism |
| Advanced endocrinology, diabetes, & metabolism (Academic/research track) |
| Clinical nutrition |
| Diabetes mellitus |
| Geriatric endocrinology |
| Hypertension |
| Nutrition & metabolic disease |
| Osteoporosis |
| Pituitary Diseases |
| Polycystic ovarian syndrome |
| Pre-diabetes (Metabolic syndrome) |
| Reproductive endocrinology |
| Gastroenterology |
| Advanced gastroenterology (Academic/research track) |
| Endoscopic ultrasonography |
| Endoscopy (ERCP) |
| Esophageal diseases |
| Gastrointestinal motility |
| Gastrointestinal nutrition |
| Geriatric gastroenterology |
| Hepatology |
| Inflammatory bowel disease |
| Transplantation gastroenterology |
| Transplant hepatology |
| General Internal Medicine |
| Academic general internal medicine |
| Advanced training in hospital medicine |
| Ambulatory care |
| Clinical education |
| Clinical epidemiology |
| Clinical pharmacology |
| Consultation medicine in pregnancy |
| Evidence-based medicine |
| Genetics in internal medicine |
| Geographic medicine |
| Health services (outcome) research |
| Hospice & palliative medicine |
| Primary care medicine |
| Psychosocial medicine |
| Sleep medicine |
| Geriatric Medicine |
| Advanced geriatric medicine (Academic/research track) |
| Dementia |
| Geriatric neurology |
| Hospice & palliative medicine |
| Osteoporosis |
| Rehabilitation geriatrics |
| Hematology & Oncology |
| Advanced hematology & oncology (Academic/research track) |
| Blood & marrow transplantation |
| Bone marrow transplantation |
| Cancer genetics |
| Coagulation medicine |
| Genito-urinary oncology |
| Geriatric hematology & oncology |
| Hospice & palliative medicine |
| Interdisciplinary breast cancer |
| Leukemia |
| Oncology in gastroenterology |
| Oncology in pulmonary medicine |
| Sickle cell disease |
| Stem cell replacement |
| Transplantation hematology - oncology |
| Infectious Diseases |
| Advanced infectious diseases (Academic/research track) |
| Clinical epidemiology |
| Clinical microbiology |
| Geriatric infectious diseases |
| HIV & AIDS |
| Immunotherapy |
| Transplantation infectious disease |
| Tuberculosis & pulmonary infections |
| Nephrology |
| Advanced nephrology (Academic/research track) |
| Geriatric nephrology |
| Hypertension nephrology |
| Interventional nephrology |
| Renal genetics |
| Renal imaging |
| Transplantation nephrology |
| Pulmonary Disease |
| Advanced pulmonary disease & critical care medicine (Academic/research track) |
| Genetic pulmonary disease |
| Geriatric pulmonary disease |
| Heart-lung transplantation |
| Interventional pulmonology |
| Lung transplantation |
| Neurocritical care & stroke |
| Pulmonary vascular disease |
| Sleep medicine |
| Vascular medicine |
| Rheumatology |
| Advanced rheumatology (Academic/research track) |
| Genetic musculoskeletal disease |
| Geriatric rheumatology |
| Inflammatory muscle disease |
| Rheumatology/Allergy & immunology |
| Spinal disease |
| Systemic Lupus erythematosis |
Nuclear Medicine
www.abnm.org
For further information regarding non-standard training programs, please visit the ABNM website.
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear oncology | |
| Pediatric nuclear medicine | |
| PET | |
| Renal nuclear medicine |
Obstetrics and Gynecology
www.abog.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Family planning | 2 years |
| Gynecologic endoscopy | |
| Minimally invasive GYN surgery | |
| Pediatric adolescent gynecology |
Ophthalmology
www.abop.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Cornea | |
| Glaucoma | |
| Neuro-ophthalmology | |
| Ocular oncology | |
| Oculoplastics | |
| Ophthalmic pathology | |
| Pediatric/strabismus | |
| Retina/vitreous | |
| Uveitis |
Otolaryngology
www.aboto.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Craniomaxillofacial | |
| Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery | |
| Head and neck oncologic surgery | |
| Head and neck surgery | |
| Laryngology | |
| Microvascular surgery | |
| Rhinology |
Pathology
www.abpath.org
The American Board of Pathology is willing to endorse a J-1 visa applicant for advanced study in the fields of Pathology listed below only if the J-1 visa candidate has completed the prerequisites for primary certification and has applied for certification or is a diplomate of The American Board of Pathology. Please contact the board if there are additional questions.
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | |
|---|---|
| Autopsy pathology | |
| Clinical pathology: | |
| Informatics | |
| Laboratory management | |
| Research | |
| Informatics | |
| Laboratory management | |
| Research | |
| Surgical pathology |
Pediatrics
www.abp.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Academic general pediatrics | 1-3 years |
| Academic research track (applicable to all pediatric sub-specialties) | 1-2 years |
| Cardiology: | |
| Adult/pediatric congenital heart disease | 1 year |
| Advanced cardiac imaging | 1 year |
| Cardiac critical care | 1-2 years |
| Echocardiography | 1 year |
| Electrophysiology | 1-2 years |
| Interventional cardiology | 1-2 years |
| Child Abuse | 2-3 years |
| Clinical pharmacology | 1-2 years |
| Community pediatrics | 1 year |
| ECMO | 1 year |
| Endocrinology: | |
| Neuroendocrinology | 1-2 years |
| Gastroenterology: | |
| Interventional endoscopy | 1 year |
| Motility | 1 year |
| Nutrition | 1 year |
| Health services fellowship | 1-2 years |
| Hematology - Oncology: | |
| Advanced training in coagulation | 1 year |
| Hematopoietic stem cell reconstitution (Bone marrow transplant) | 1 year |
| Neuro-oncology | 1 year |
| Sickle Cell disease | 1 year |
| Solid Tumor Oncology | 1 year |
| Infectious Diseases: | |
| HIV/AIDS | 1 year |
| Vaccinology & vaccine preventable diseases | 1-2 years |
| Pulmonology: | |
| Lung transplantation | 1 year |
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
www.abpmr.org
The American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation will consider recognition of non-standard programs on a case-by-case basis.
Plastic Surgery
www.abplsurg.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Aesthetic surgery | 1 year |
| Breast surgery | 1 year |
| Burn reconstructive surgery | 1 year |
| Burn surgery | 1 year |
| Craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery | 1 year |
| General reconstructive surgery | 2 years |
| Laser and vascular malformation surgery | 1 year |
| Microvascular reconstructive surgery | 1 year |
| Outcomes surgical research | 1 year |
| Pediatric craniofacial surgery | 1 year |
| Pediatric plastic surgery | 2 years |
| Surgical research | 1 year |
Psychiatry & Neurology
www.abpn.com
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Psychiatry: | |
| Administrative psychiatry | 1-2 years |
| AIDS | 1-2 years |
| Community psychiatry | 1-2 years |
| Developmental disabilities | 1-2 years |
| Emergency psychiatry | 1-2 years |
| Infant psychiatry | 1-2 years |
| Mood disorders | 1-2 years |
| Neuropsychiatry | 1-2 years |
| Post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) | 1-2 years |
| Psychiatric research | 1-2 years |
| Psychopharmacology | 1-2 years |
| Psychosomatic medicine * | 1-2 years |
| Psychotherapy | 1-4 years |
| Psychotic disorders | 1-2 years |
| Public psychiatry and public policy | 1-2 years |
| Sleep disorders | 1-2 years |
| Women's Mental Health | 1-2 years |
* The subspecialty has recently been accredited by the ACGME. ECFMG will continue to sponsor J-1 physicians while programs seek ACGME accreditation.
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Neurology: | |
| AIDS | 1-2 years |
| Alzheimer's disease | 1-2 years |
| Autoimmune neurology | 1-2 years |
| Autonomic disorders | 1-2 years |
| Behavioral neurology | 1-2 years |
| Dementia | 1-2 years |
| EEG | 1-2 years |
| EMG | 1-2 years |
| Epilepsy | 1-2 years |
| Geriatric neurology | 1-2 years |
| Headache (Adult & Pediatric) | 1-2 years |
| Interventional neurology | 1-2 years |
| Memory disorders | 1-2 years |
| Movement disorders | 1-2 years |
| Multiple sclerosis | 1-2 years |
| Neonatal neurology | 1-2 years |
| Neuroepidemiology | 1-2 years |
| Neurogenetics | 1-2 years |
| Neuroimaging | 1-2 years |
| Neuroimmunology to include multiple sclerosis | 1-2 years |
| Neurologic critical care | 1-2 years |
| Neuromuscular disorders | 1-2 years |
| Neuro-oncology | 1-3 years |
| Neuro-ophthalmology | 1-2 years |
| Neuro-otology | 1-2 years |
| Neuropathology | 1-2 years |
| Neuropharmacology | 1-2 years |
| Neurorehabilitation | 1-2 years |
| Neurovirology & other infections of the nervous system | 1-2 years |
| Pediatric epilepsy | 1-2 years |
| Peripheral nerve disorders | 1-2 years |
| Sleep disorders | 1-2 years |
| Vascular neurology ("stroke") * | 1-2 years |
* The subspecialty has recently been accredited by the ACGME. ECFMG will continue to sponsor J-1 physicians while programs seek ACGME accreditation.
Radiology
www.theabr.org
The American Board of Radiology will consider recognition of non-standard programs on a case-by-case basis.
Surgery
www.absurgery.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Advanced GI surgery: | |
| Foregut surgery | 1 year |
| Hepatic surgery | 1 year |
| Hepatobiliary surgery | 1 year |
| Bariatric surgery | 1 year |
| Endocrine surgery | 1 year |
| Laparoscopic surgery: | |
| Advanced laparoscopic surgery | 1 year |
| Endoscopic surgery | 1 year |
| Laparoscopic surgery | 1 year |
| Minimally invasive surgery | 1 year |
| Videoendoscopic surgery | 1 year |
| Microsurgery | 1 year |
| Oncological fellowships: | |
| Breast oncology | 1 year |
| Endocrine oncology | 1 year |
| Head & neck surgical oncology | 1-2 years |
| Pediatric surgical oncology | 1 year |
| Surgical oncology | 1-2 years |
| Pediatric surgery: | |
| Pediatric cardiothoracic | 1 year |
| Transplantation: | |
| Abdominal Multi-organ Transplantation | 2 years |
| Trauma: | |
| Burn surgery | 1 year |
| Pediatric trauma surgery | 1 year |
| Trauma surgery | 1 year |
Thoracic Surgery
www.abts.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Adult cardiac surgery | 1-2 years |
| Cardiac valve surgery | 1 year |
| Cardiothoracic transplantation surgery | |
| General thoracic surgery | |
| Lung transplantation | 1-2 years |
| Mechanical cardiac support & cardiac transplantation | 1-2 years |
| Minimally invasive C-T surgery | 1-2 years |
| Thoracic oncology | 1-2 years |
Urology
www.abu.org
| Non-Standard Subspecialty Disciplines Recognized for Purpose of J‑1 Sponsorship | Length of Program |
|---|---|
| Calculus disease | 1-2 years |
| Endourology | 1-2 years |
| Endourology & laparoscopy | 1-2 years |
| Erectile dysfunction | 1-2 years |
| Erectile dysfunction & infertility (andrology) | 1-2 years |
| Female urology | 1-2 years |
| Female urology & pelvic reconstruction | 1-2 years |
| Female urology & urodynamics | 1-2 years |
| Geriatric urology | 1-2 years |
| Infertility | 1-2 years |
| Laparoscopic urology | 1-2 years |
| Minimally invasive urologic surgery | 1-2 years |
| Neurourology & urodynamics | 1-2 years |
| Pediatric urology | 1-2 years |
| Reconstructive genital surgery | 1-2 years |
| Renal transplantation | 1-2 years |
| Urologic oncology | 1-2 years |
| Urologic trauma | 1-2 years |
To date, no specific guidelines or list of non-standard disciplines have been provided by the following boards. Contact the boards directly with any questions regarding non-standard programs.
| Allergy & Immunology | www.abai.org |
| Colon & Rectal Surgery | www.abcrs.org |
| Emergency Medicine | www.abem.org |
| Medical Genetics | www.abmg.org |
| Neurological Surgery | www.abns.org |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | www.abos.org |
| Preventive Medicine | www.abprevmed.org |
Summary of Discussions on J-1 Sponsorship Issues Regarding Non-Standard Programs
The following document summarizes the criteria that have been agreed upon for sponsorship in non-standard programs, effective July 1, 2003.
Application Materials
Initial Application (Non-Standard)
To be submitted for physicians who are not currently sponsored by ECFMG.
Continuation (Non-Standard)
To be submitted for physicians who are already being sponsored by ECFMG.