How hard is it to get state licenses in multiple states?

[JohnnyQ]

How easy is it to get licensed in multiple states?

Do different specialties have differing levels of difficulty obtaining licensure?

For example say I study Emergency Medicine in Illinois and am licenced in Illinois. How difficult would it be for me to get licensed in Tennessee or Arkansas using my Illinois license?

Are there any specific laws that the government has passed recently that make it harder to get licensure in different states?

What about getting licensure to practice in a different state after working in one state for a long while. For example lets say I work as a ENT specialist in Delaware for 25 years and then want to move to Nevada or Utah for the final 10-15 years of my life. Would I need to take lots of CME courses and get licensed again, or would my Delaware licensure be transferred?

Any opinions you have would be helpful!

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[f_w]

Do different specialties have differing levels of difficulty obtaining licensure?

State licenses are not specialty specific (yet), so in that sense there is no difference.

How difficult would it be for me to get licensed in Tennessee or Arkansas using my Illinois license?

You fill out the respective states application, send them a cheque and you get the respective state licenses.
Prior state licenses actually make it slightly more complicated because you need a 'letter of good standing' from your prior states. Some states will send that out for $5 and it takes 3 days, others charge $50 and it takes weeks.

Are there any specific laws that the government has passed recently that make it harder to get licensure in different states?

No.

For example lets say I work as a ENT specialist in Delaware for 25 years and then want to move to Nevada or Utah for the final 10-15 years of my life. Would I need to take lots of CME courses and get licensed again, or would my Delaware licensure be transferred?

You will need to take lots of CME courses anyway in order to maintain your hospital priviledges (and often your state license).
If you wanted to make that move, you would apply for a license and in all likelihood get it.
The only obstacles that can occur to getting further licenses are issues like malpractice suits and complaints against you. Usually, they won't keep you from getting another license but rather delay it for a couple of weeks. In most cases, the executive director of the medboard can issue temporary licenses for people who have a clean record, anyone with prior issues has to be discussed in front of the full board.

There are people doing teleradiology who hold 20-30 state licenses. It is a big hassle because they all renew in different cycles (annual, biannual, on your birthday, on june30th). So most of this paperwork is delegated to clerical employees who do nothing but filling out licensing and renewal applications.

 

[Faebinder]

That's one thing i wish we could fix in medicine and reduce the bureaucracy .. Abolish state licenses and initiate a federal license and get it over with. Somehow, I sense that one large agency doing a huge amount of work is so much more efficient than 50 doing 50 jobs.

 

[f_w]

That's one thing i wish we could fix in medicine and reduce the bureaucracy .. Abolish state licenses and initiate a federal license and get it over with. Somehow, I sense that one large agency doing a huge amount of work is so much more efficient than 50 doing 50 jobs.

Or how about doing the same thing as with drivers licenses: Reciprocity !

As often, federal goverment buerocrats are leading the way. If you work for the Veterans administration or the military, you need 'A' medical license, not necessarily the one for the state you work in.

 

[Faebinder]

Or how about doing the same thing as with drivers licenses: Reciprocity !

As often, federal goverment buerocrats are leading the way. If you work for the Veterans administration or the military, you need 'A' medical license, not necessarily the one for the state you work in.

I dont know, often I am torn between saying "Frigging A just make it run by one agency and make our lives easier." vs. "I don't want the government to have supreme unquestioned power."

There are positives and negatives... Right now I am thinking maybe I was too rash in saying "Lets make it a federal license". You know very well how the government does things when it's federal.. Imagine getting denied for a license for some dumb thing..... fighting that would be a nightmare from hell.

 

[f_w]

There are positives and negatives... Right now I am thinking maybe I was too rash in saying "Lets make it a federal license". You know very well how the government does things when it's federal.. Imagine getting denied for a license for some dumb thing..... fighting that would be a nightmare from hell.

Well, right now it is a nightmare at the state level if they deny you a license.

But compared with the run-around you get for a state license at times, anything I have gotten from the feds has been remarkably straightforward so far (medicar numbers, NPI, UPIN, DEA, NRC haz-mat transport license).

 

[Winged Scapula]

Agreed. The Federal numbers have been a piece of cake.

I hold 3 state licenses - NJ was by far the most complicated and a pain in the arse to get.

I recently sent in an application to FCVS since I will be once again, applying for another state license since I will in all likelihood be taking an attending job outside of the other states I am currently licensed in. A large number of states actually require that you use this service - it remains to be seen by me whether it reduces the hassle of filling out the same forms, with the same information, and larger and larger checks everytime you want another license.

 

[f_w]

I hold 3 state licenses - NJ was by far the most complicated and a pain in the arse to get.

NJ is famous for its outstanding customer service attitude and expedient processing of out of state applicants They are also known for cashing the cheque and shredding the rest of the application for offenses such as changing your name between medical school application and end of residency.

I recently sent in an application to FCVS since I will be once again,

Good luck then. The FCVS guys need a A LOT of patience. A good idea, implemented in a rather painful way.

- it remains to be seen by me whether it reduces the hassle of filling out the same forms, with the same information,

In some states it does. All they want is your FCVS profile and a cheque and they are good to go.

and larger and larger checks everytime you want another license.

Oh, just wait for the joy of applying for multiple hospital and insurance priviledges. That was when I found out that the worst offender is my own specialty board. Confirmation of board certification (something you can get for free on the ABMS website), they charge $100 to the applicant. What a ripoff after you sink 3k into that racket to become BC in the first place.

 

[Faebinder]

All in favor of one federal license for all states say I?!

 

[f_w]

All in favor of one federal license for all states say I?!

No.

I am in favor of licensing by reciprocity with a uniform licensing standard accross the country. States can issue two types of licenses:

- local limited (e.g. faculty licenses for visiting professors from abroad, temporary licenses for locums etc.)
- standard national

The requirements for the latter would be uniform (7 year limit on USMLEs, minimum length of ACGME accredited postgrad training, verification of identity, NPDB and background check). But once you have the 'standard national' license, you can go to any of the other 52 medical boards and obtain a license by mailing a copy of your standard license and a $10 cheque. Your local board is the 'master' and all you have to do to maintain your 'slave' licenses is to remain in good standing with your 'master' medical board.