Tough Licensure

[cleopatrah]

First time poster but was curious as to input from this forum.
I got into a heated discussion today with a fellow resident concerning the stringency of gaining medical licensure. I argued our state was extremely strict when it came to facing the board for previous law infractions… I will leave my state out of it to avoid assumptions but wondered which states were in fact notorious for being harsh when it comes to gaining a license?

Cleo-

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[DOme2009]

i remember hearing that texas is tough to get licensure, but maybe it was just that the paperwork takes a long time to get processed.

 

[maceo]

florida
texas
mass
NJ

that i know of..
you have to basically hire a consultant to get you licensed in florida for some reason. It is a very tough license to obtain. All of them are getting harder to obtain license because of more laws.. fingerprints. Its getting to be a pain in the arse. and its funny. all of them ask the same exact things. its like why not make a national license.. or have a cluster of states get together and have one license for that cluster.. That would make too much sense

 

[BLADEMDA]

Get your licensure in those tough states during Residency. Texas and Florida are quite difficult. I believe Texas is the toughest right now in the USA because it is poorly run. Licensure can take 12-24 months in Texas.

Florida averages 4-6 months. Most states are 60-90 days. Most people have an idea about where they want to reside after Residency. If you are considering Texas start the process early.

 

[TheSandMan]

Get your licensure in those tough states during Residency. Texas and Florida are quite difficult. I believe Texas is the toughest right now in the USA because it is poorly run. Licensure can take 12-24 months in Texas.

Florida averages 4-6 months. Most states are 60-90 days. Most people have an idea about where they want to reside after Residency. If you are considering Texas start the process early.

are you recommending to get licensure in the tough states during residency because of time needed to get your license or because of it would be drastically more difficult to get later. I can see myself living in quite few different states 5 to 10 years from now, but think it would be expensive to apply for and keep renewing licenses for all those states for a move I may never make.

 

[BLADEMDA]

are you recommending to get licensure in the tough states during residency because of time needed to get your license or because of it would be drastically more difficult to get later. I can see myself living in quite few different states 5 to 10 years from now, but think it would be expensive to apply for and keep renewing licenses for all those states for a move I may never make.

Good question. It is simply too expensive for one to get licensure in 10-15 states. Instead, I recommend 2-3 states during Residency (max). However, if Florida or Texas are NOT on your short list of states then you have less of a concern.

By the way, after a few years most people just keep 1-3 state licensures. Some go "inactive" on all but the one needed to practice.

Again, Texas is the toughest state in the union. If you are considering Texas then start the process during your CA2 year in that state. For Florida plan on 6 months for licensure.

 

[2ndyear]

First you need to find out if your desired state(s) are FCVS or not. While all accept FCVS, some require it and that changes things a bit as it is very slow. A list is here:
http://www.fsmb.org/fcvs_physboards.html
If you have the time (like you're a CA-2) then it may be worth doing no matter what as all of your stuff will be there forever.

There are companies that will do applications for you. They aren't cheap, but when you're worried about boards and are very busy, time is precious. Another benefit for applying early, not having to hire a consultant.

Next, don't forget credentialing. Your hospital will want much of the same info that the boards do, and just because you have a full license doesn't mean that you can practice. You have to credential. Mine was fairly painful. The board met like the third Tuesday of every month with a new moon at 10am, and you had to attend the meeting or not be credentialed. I think I ended up calling in sick because the meetings were so few and far between that I could have missed out on starting my job by a full month or more.

 

[BLADEMDA]

First you need to find out if your desired state(s) are FCVS or not. While all accept FCVS, some require it and that changes things a bit as it is very slow. A list is here:
http://www.fsmb.org/fcvs_physboards.html
If you have the time (like you're a CA-2) then it may be worth doing no matter what as all of your stuff will be there forever.

There are companies that will do applications for you. They aren't cheap, but when you're worried about boards and are very busy, time is precious. Another benefit for applying early, not having to hire a consultant.

Next, don't forget credentialing. Your hospital will want much of the same info that the boards do, and just because you have a full license doesn't mean that you can practice. You have to credential. Mine was fairly painful. The board met like the third Tuesday of every month with a new moon at 10am, and you had to attend the meeting or not be credentialed. I think I ended up calling in sick because the meetings were so few and far between that I could have missed out on starting my job by a full month or more.

Those "companies" will tell you Texas is a hard, painful state. Thay have applications in Texas take a year or longer.

As for hospital credentials that has more to do with WHEN you accept a job than anything else. For example, if you accept in May and want to start work in July that could be tough. However, if you accept 2-3 months prior to starting work and then get your paperwork work filed ASAP it shouldn't be a problem. But, you must be licensed for the credentialing board at some hospitals to review your packet. No license means you must wait until the next Board Meeting.

 

[MTGas2B]

A residency classmate has told me that Nevada is running him through a lot of hoops to get his license. My unrestricted WA license was easy.

 

[fastosprintini]

hi blade, i applied for a texas license in 5/08 and received it three months later .
i'm a fmg and i was registered with the fcvs from years past . the whole process appeared to be rather organized and expedient, the website was always up to date and people actually answered phones.
the main headache of course was the texas medical jurisprudence exam which needed a bit of preparation but was quite doable with a week or so of study.
just as you i have heard horrorstories about the tmb but they seem to have instituted changes over the last year , possibly due to complaints, lawsuits and negative press...
fasto

 

[BLADEMDA]

hi blade, i applied for a texas license in 5/08 and received it three months later .
i'm a fmg and i was registered with the fcvs from years past . the whole process appeared to be rather organized and expedient, the website was always up to date and people actually answered phones.
the main headache of course was the texas medical jurisprudence exam which needed a bit of preparation but was quite doable with a week or so of study.
just as you i have heard horrorstories about the tmb but they seem to have instituted changes over the last year , possibly due to complaints, lawsuits and negative press...
fasto

Good to hear.



The time required to obtain a permanent Texas medical
license can take as long as six months depending on the
complexity of your application and the number of applications
the Texas Medical Board (TMB) is processing at the time you
apply. Do not delay applying for your license.

Postal Address:​

Texas Medical Board
Attn: Screen - CIC
P. O. Box 2029, MC-242
Austin, TX 78768-2029

​

The TMB is now accepting applications on line. The following
link outlines the process and also directs you to the on-line
application: http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/professionals/
physicians/applicants/beforeyouapply.php. Please make
certain to include everything requested and to answer
all questions. A missing item or unanswered question
will cause the processing of your application to be
delayed significantly.





You will also need to take the Texas Medical Jurisprudence Examination. The exam is administered by Prometric at locations throughout the United States and in Austin, Texas. Prometric may be contacted at http://www.prometric.com or by calling 800-481-6536.
After your application has been screened and verified for completeness, the TMB will notify you to take the Jurisprudence Examination.

Office location:​

The William P. Hobby Building
Attn: Screen-CIC
333 Guadalupe #3-700
Austin, TX 78701

​

Once you pass the jurisprudence exam and TMB indicates
your file is complete, it can still take upwards of two to four
months for the review process. The more complicated your
file, the more lengthy the review. When the review is
completed, you will be scheduled for a personal
interview with the TMB in Austin at which time you will
receive a temporary license. Your permanent license
will be mailed.

 

[BLADEMDA]

04-02-2008, 09:59 PM #22 timtye78
Senior Member



Status: Attending
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 356

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajlmd
When did you have all of your stuff submitted? I passed the jurisprudence exam and had all of my information in by the end of January and I haven't heard anything yet. I'm an American grad currently licensed in another state and I have an uncompilcated application.

thanks

They emailed me on Jan 30th telling me my file was complete. Then they lost my fingerprint papers. They apologized, and about mid to late Feb they said 'now' my file was complete. So I would have to say Mid Feb my file was complete according to them.

I would advise calling them directly. There is no penalty for getting them to tell you where you stand in the process.

Texas licensure is apparently possible. Just get it going early. On their website, I found out that two years ago they had 2000 odd applicaions. It said in 2007, there were over 4000 applications for Texas Medical Licensure. Somewhere it said they had a staff of 18 handling it all. My guess is they do have a lot of apps for whatever reason, be it Tort reform, or Hurricaine Katrina. So if everything goes well for me as planned, it will have taken my application around ten months from app to issue.

If you are considering Texas, you need to apply almost a year in advance, even with an uncomplicated app. Have a backup job in case the license doesn't come through. My attending from TX told me years ago to apply for Texas WAY before you think you will need it. I have heard many stories while interviewing in Texas about people who they try to hire who show up at the end of residency (with no license) and then they sometimes completely lose their opportunity due to this. Everyone at every interview asked me quickly-
"Where are you at in your Texas license process?"

All that being said, I still won't be totally relaxed until I have a license number from TX. Although I am a lot less worried at this point. Fingers crossed...

 

[BLADEMDA]

04-02-2008, 03:40 AM #16 doctawife
Rocephin is for wimps



Status: Attending
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 473

I was underemployed for 8 months because of the folks at the licensing board.

I hate them.

I finished residency is good standing, had a job lined up, and those ijiots kept me sitting on my backside. For almost a year. I had to sell my car and take a temp job. As a secretary.

I hate them.

Never trust the TSMB. Until the license is in your hand, confirm everything, always.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Texas is one of just a few states which requires a Jurisprudence exam.
This exam actually requires you to read the book and study.

In addition, Texas requires that you are Board Eligible or Board Certified (no older than ten years from certification or Recertification).

Thus, the older Anesthesiologists wishing to relocate to Texas must be recertified by the ABA for Texas licensure.

 

[BLADEMDA]

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[TheSandMan]

Some solid info. Thanks blade

 

[jaeida8]

I ran across this thread while doing a search...I actually got my Texas license number in less than 5 weeks. After that it has to be registered for another 750+ bucks, and in a few days you receive the "full permit" certificate with the expiration date.

I was lucky because my app was complete days before the board met. I also was very OCD about getting my paperwork sent in...everything was sent Fed Ex overnight.

There is no personal interview anymore.

 

[psychninja]

I know this is an old thread, but...

FYI: I tried Medlicense.com and the paperwork had many typos and even the wrong information about which medical school I went to on my signature pages. They also wanted me to notarized blank releases of information. Fortunately they finally gave me my money back, but it was a headache. I wouldn't recommend them.

 

[rakotomazoto]

I worked as a "licensing consultant" for six months prior to medical school at one of those companies... The quality is very hit or miss, even from employee to employee. Some of my coworkers had years of experience and took personal pride in issuing licenses quickly. They had personal contacts at many of the state medical boards and could use those contacts to get things done quickly and sidestep a lot of the buearocracy. Others were total paper pushers and never accomplished anything. Each one of us had several doctors that we were working on and if a doctor's CV seemed complicated or messy (lots of malpractice, past criminal record, gaps in their training timeline, multiple residency programs, etc) they would end up on the bottom of the pile and their paperwork would sit for months without any real work being done. I inherited one file like that where the doctor had not paid our company for some past work but would still call pushing us to work on his more recent requests for assistance with his licensure. As a result, my company had been giving him the run around for over a year. I don't want to name my company because I was able to obtain licenses in a matter of days for some people, others it was a multi-year process and that timeline often was not completely under the control of the company I worked for, but sometimes it was totally a game of working on the licenses that were most likely to issue the quickest and get to the difficult ones as time permitted, regardless of who had originally hired us first. I just googled it and my former employer comes up on the first page of results. It would be an exageration to say, "never trust any of them" but not by much.

Many people that I worked with viewed the state medical boards as a source of easy, reliable income for the states, which is why the status quo is not likely to change. Hardest state varies based on how dirty your CV is. There was this one client who was trying to get lisenced in Arkansas and had a shady resume, some felony convictions or something of that nature, and the state medical board responded and requested his Jr. High transcripts. I'm not saying it made any sense, but when a state medical board decides it doesn't like your application, you are destined to walk a long, painful road. In addition, the state medical boards are very inconsistent: sometimes people with questionable things in their past were issued a license quickly and other people were held up because they didn't explain what they were doing for a month in between medical school and residency. I also had an interesting time trying to get verifications done for people who trained in India, Iran, Pakistan, etc. It's already hard enough getting someone to fax something to you when they are in your country and speak English. Imagine trying to get that same task accomplished via international snail mail with people who don't speak a word of English. If that is your situation, it would probably be quicker/easier to "hire" a family member or friend to help you out rather than approaching a professional licensing service.

If you are a young doctor with a short resume, my advice is to suck it up and do the work yourself. If you have a complicated story, it might be less of a headache to hire someone else to fill out your paperwork, fax things, follow up and call to make sure the fax was received (by the right person who actually knows what to do with it!) and to pester lazy office staff people into doing their jobs and forwarding things along. Just keep in mind, you may end up doing more work trying to oversee your licensing consultant than by just doing it yourself. Buyer beware!