So I want to bring up two scenarios...

First, if I graduate from US medical school, how long does it take to become a licensend physician in California? What are the requirements? Can you only complete one year of residency and become licensed? The second scenario would be if I were to graduate from a foreign medical school (ie Tel Aviv Univ)...does it take longer to become licensed?

Basically, what I am getting at is that if I just wanted to be licensed and not complete the full residency, is that possible in California to be a GP or something of the sort???

Thank you

In CA you can get a license after you have completed one year of post grad training. It took me about 5 months from application to license (US school).

depnds on the state

NY state believe it or not takes about 5- 6 weeks..

california takes 6 months.. they want fingerprints.. from state department to clear... letter from first grade teacher.. and third grade teacher.. etc etc etc..

there are certain states that are notoriously a pain in the ass.. those being california, new jersey, texas, florida. thats all i can think of..

Yes, in California you can get a full license after one year of training. (Actually, you have to get a full license at that time in order to continue residency training).
It takes a while to get, so they usually recommend starting the license application around March of your intern year so that you can get it by August or so.
And I'd like to also add my two cents that the California licensure process is a complete pain in the arse, and I'd never want to go through that again....

Quick question - what information do we have to retain from medical school when applying for a full unrestricted license? Just the date of entrance and graduation? Where we did our rotations? Where and when we did our rotations? Name of the guest lecturers who talked on Oct 12, 2003? In general, what paperwork can I burn and info purge from my mind?

Would the answer change if someone is a graduate of a LCME/AOA school seeking a license in the states vs someone who graduated from a non-LCME/AOA school seeking license in the state?

Thanks =)

I heard some states may have you come in for an interview too . What's up with that?

Quick question - what information do we have to retain from medical school when applying for a full unrestricted license? Just the date of entrance and graduation? Where we did our rotations? Where and when we did our rotations? Name of the guest lecturers who talked on Oct 12, 2003? In general, what paperwork can I burn and info purge from my mind?

Would the answer change if someone is a graduate of a LCME/AOA school seeking a license in the states vs someone who graduated from a non-LCME/AOA school seeking license in the state?

Thanks =)

It depends on the state -- every state has it's own rules. If you have a particular state in mind that you want to get a license in, check out that state's medical board website for details.

I heard some states may have you come in for an interview too . What's up with that?

lol - I think you have to do that in Vermont... totally ridiculous. In Massachusetts you have to get a letter of support from another physician who holds a MA license -- also ridiculous, because what if you are moving to the state and don't know anyone in Massachusetts?