How difficult is it to move to CA for residency if doing prelim in another state?

[Steve Nash]

Besides the logistics of moving your home, how difficult is it to get a CA medical license, driver's license, etc.. I'm thinking of doing prelim in my home state of NY to be near family and save money but is it worth the headache?

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[HelenCarter]

That's not very hard to get driver's license in CA, all you need is to pass a driver's test. I tried to pass it for ten times and so i failed and i decided to go on some driver's courses , try on these they could be useful) and try to contact authorities for information about all procedures)

 

[gutonc]

Besides the logistics of moving your home, how difficult is it to get a CA medical license, driver's license, etc.. I'm thinking of doing prelim in my home state of NY to be near family and save money but is it worth the headache?

I'm not sure I really understand the question. It's as difficult (or easy) to do it after a prelim year elsewhere as it is to do it for intern year. Or fellowship. Or in 20 years.

 

[Steve Nash]

I'm not sure I really understand the question. It's as difficult (or easy) to do it after a prelim year elsewhere as it is to do it for intern year. Or fellowship. Or in 20 years.

Trying to decide on how to do my rank list. I want to do preliminary year, as an intern year, in NY and then complete my residency in California. A resident told me to just do the intern year in the same state, and if you can city, as your advanced position because it's a hassle to get your California medical license. I guess my question is how does licensing work as a resident?? I have no clue how this works or if I should even be concerned about it now. I'm guessing you have to pass Step 3 first...

 

[gutonc]

Trying to decide on how to do my rank list. I want to do preliminary year, as an intern year, in NY and then complete my residency in California. A resident told me to just do the intern year in the same state, and if you can city, as your advanced position because it's a hassle to get your California medical license. I guess my question is how does licensing work as a resident?? I have no clue how this works or if I should even be concerned about it now. I'm guessing you have to pass Step 3 first...

Do your rank list the way you like it. That dude is an idiot (or at least, ignorant in this case).

CA doesn't have a training license, although you have to get your full license by the start of PGY3. So you have plenty of time to get it once you get there.

There's this kind of amazing thing out there known as Teh Googelz that will help you with this. It led me right to this page.

 

[evilbooyaa]

You don't need a CA driver's license to drive in CA.

 

[RangerBob]

You don't need a CA driver's license to drive in CA.

Technically you do if you're a resident--in both meanings of the term. As a medical resident, you're paying taxes and working in the state and can't claim you're a resident of another state. You're a CA resident if you're working/living/paying taxes in the state. You typically have something like 3 months to get a drivers license and plates in the new state you live in. Realistically, the odds of getting caught are pretty slim, but you could be ticketed. In some states this is more important--like in Michigan if you don't get MI car insurance, or a no-fault rider if you maintain your out-of-state insurance, then you're technically uninsured and driving illegally.

As a medical student, you can maintain your original state residency (assuming you're not paying in-state tuition). I did that and didn't change my license/registration until starting intern year.

To the OP: Personally I wanted to do my pre-lim either where I was for medical school or where I'd match for advanced--fewer moves made things easier. Instead I matched to a different state (I ended up ranking that pre-lim first since I liked it so much). It wasn't a hassle at all to deal with the licensing--the program coordinator helped out a lot, and besides I had plenty of time to work on it between match day and the start of internship. The big hassle is moving an additional time--I would put that concern far above the issue of whether or not the licensing process is longer/more annoying. Honestly I wouldn't even take the licensing part into account when ranking. (And if CA doesn't have a training license as gutonc points out, then it really is a non-issue).

Rank programs based on where you want to be.