ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) announced that more than 1,400 Pakistani medical graduates successfully passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) this year, another milestone for the country’s young doctors as they continue to make their mark in US, UK, EU and other regions.
PMDC President Professor Dr. Rizwan Taj hailed the succes, calling it growing success of Pakistani graduates in securing pathways to US residency training to sweeping reforms introduced by the Council in recent years.
According to Dr. Taj, PMDC’s initiatives, including the introduction of a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), strengthened clinical training, and enhanced quality assurance measures, played key role in improving the standard of medical education across Pakistan.
He said Pakistani medical graduates are consistently delivering stronger performances in international licensing examinations and are becoming increasingly competitive for residency positions in the United States, reflecting a steady improvement in the country’s medical education standards.
PMDC chief was of view that the Council focused on aligning undergraduate medical education with international benchmarks while expanding students’ clinical exposure to better prepare future doctors for careers in global healthcare systems.
Calling the achievement proud moment for the nation, Dr. Taj said every Pakistani graduate who succeeds internationally represents the dedication and hard work of students, faculty members, educational institutions, and the reforms implemented to raise educational standards. He reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to further strengthening medical education, supporting medical institutions, and creating more opportunities for Pakistani doctors to excel on the international stage.
The growing success of Pakistani medical graduates is the result of the collective efforts of students, teachers, parents, and medical institutions, and serves as strong evidence that Pakistani doctors are earning increasing recognition and respect within the global medical community.
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is mandatory licensing exam for doctors seeking to practice medicine in America. It is administered by Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), and consists of three stages: Step 1, which tests basic medical sciences; Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), which evaluates clinical skills and patient management; and Step 3, which assesses a physician’s ability to practice independently.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s most challenging medical licensing exams, the USMLE requires strong medical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and decision-making skills. According to the latest official data, first-time international medical graduates have pass rates of 75% in Step 1, 90% in Step 2 CK, and 88% in Step 3.
