Licensing question

[jp104]

Really quick question..


Are you automatically licensed in the state where you do your residency upon completion, or do you need to apply for a license prior to starting your residency? I'm particularly wondering about Texas

Thanks much in advanced!

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[michaelrack]

Really quick question..


Are you automatically licensed in the state where you do your residency upon completion, or do you need to apply for a license prior to starting your residency? I'm particularly wondering about Texas

Thanks much in advanced!

You are not automatically licensed. US grads can apply for a medical license after completing 1 year of residency (2 years in a few states).

In many states, you have to apply for a training license at the beginning of residency.

 

[Winged Scapula]

And you might wanna read up about how painful it is to get a license in Texas...the Jurisprudence exam, the length of time it takes to get one, etc. There are plenty of threads here about it.

 

[jp104]

And you might wanna read up about how painful it is to get a license in Texas...the Jurisprudence exam, the length of time it takes to get one, etc. There are plenty of threads here about it.

Thank you all for the info! Somehow I thought that if you actually did the residency in Texas you might automatically get Texas licensure upon graduation. I'll have to read up more on the jurisprudence exam and the procedures to get up and running in Texas. Anyways, I still have a few years to go before I make the big move from NY to TX. Thanks again!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thank you all for the info! Somehow I thought that if you actually did the residency in Texas you might automatically get Texas licensure upon graduation. I'll have to read up more on the jurisprudence exam and the procedures to get up and running in Texas. Anyways, I still have a few years to go before I make the big move from NY to TX. Thanks again!

Nope...completing a residency has nothing to do with being licensed.

To be licensed, you need to complete the minimum number of years of GME, pass Step 1,2 and 3 (or COMLEX), and whatever other requirements the states have (ie, Jurisprudence exam, background check, fingerprints, lots of $$, etc.). No state has automatic licensure and you can be licensed in any state you want as long as you meet their requirements.

 

[dragonfly99]

Winged Scapula is right.
To get an "unrestricted medical license" (with which you could moonlight, or, in theory, start practicing) you have to pass USMLE step 1, 2 and 3, do at least an internship (more, like 2 full years of residency) in some states, and follow whatever rules they have set up. You can google Texas Medical License to see what they require. I wouldn't worry about this as a med student.

If/when you match to a residency in Texas, they'll tell you what you need to do. Some states require that you get a "training license" before starting residency, but hopefully most residency programs would help you with that. In my state, I didn't have to do anything...I think the training license was automatic along with being accepted into a residency. I mean, I'm sure my residency program had to do something, like turn in a list of our names, but we (future interns) didn't have to do anything to get our training license.

In my experience the paperwork and other rigamarole for getting a license is similar from state to state. Some states (California, for example) just have a bit more paperwork to fill out and charge a little more for the license (i.e. $900, as compared with $400 in some other states).

 

[killerleaf]

In Texas, if you are a resident, you can practice under a training permit, you are known as a Physician in Training. However, usually, if you are a fellow, then you have to have your full fledged license. I think that most, if not all, of the programs in Texas pay for your PIT...

 

[Hurricane]

So you're a med student thinking of doing residency in TX? This is how it works:

You match at a residency in Texas. Like every other residency in every other state, they'll contact you and ask you for a bunch of credentials like copy of your diploma, etc. The residency then sends all that stuff to the Texas Medical Board and arranges for you to get your Physician In Training Permit (PIT). Some residents have trouble getting their PIT and have to jump through some extra hoops, usually residents who took a year off, switched specialties, etc. If you're a typical med student, you shouldn't have a problem.

After completing 1 year of internship/residency (or 3 years for IMGs) and passing Step 3, you're eligible to apply for Physician Full Permit. This is an independent license that allows you to moonlight, get your own DEA#, etc. This is the application process that people on this board are always complaining about. It takes 6 months to a year, requires the jurisprudence exam, and costs $900 to apply, plus another $800 to register your license once it's approved. No , your residency doesn't pay for it. Some residencies require that you get your license by a certain time. (My residency requires that all eligible PGY3s be independently licensed, which gives us the whole PGY2 year for the long application process.) In any case, it would be foolish to wait until after you graduate residency to apply, because then you couldn't work during the 6-12 months it takes to get licensed.

 

[jp104]

Thank you all for the very detailed information on licensing! It is very much appreciated and one of many reasons I love SDN so much. Thank you!