Medical License

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AF M4

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So I've been looking around at the web sites that have show the cheap states where I can get my initial medical license, and I was wondering when is the best time to start this whole process for us incoming GMO/FS folks. Looking at some of the forms, many require references from other physicians and the signature of your PGY-1 program director that you've completed internship year. How soon can people typically get this? Thanks again everyone.
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Indiana is cheap, but I would look to other issues other than how cheap a license is. I got my license in the state where my family lives just in case they need a prescription. Another thought is whether you are interested in moonlighting after residency - you will most likely need a license in that state. Maybe you are not planning on staying in the military - maybe you should get a license in the state you wish to live in after ETS.
 
GeoLeoX said:
Indiana is cheap, but I would look to other issues other than how cheap a license is. I got my license in the state where my family lives just in case they need a prescription. Another thought is whether you are interested in moonlighting after residency - you will most likely need a license in that state. Maybe you are not planning on staying in the military - maybe you should get a license in the state you wish to live in after ETS.
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Thanks for the advice. Do all states allow people to obtain licenses after PGY 1 only or just a few?

It would be nice to know whento take Step III and apply for licensure for someone who is just now finishing medical school and will be starting a prelim year. I dont think prelim gen surg is going to teach me anything and in fact i will probably just get dumber so timing is everything.
 
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Take Step 3 as soon as possible and get it out of the way. I also did surg internship and agree that you will be most prepared right after finishing med school. Get a good review book and you will be fine.
 
The Statement of Understanding I received from the AF this year for my civilian deferral says I am required to take USMLE/COMLEX Step 3 no later than 15 March 2009 of my PGY1 year of training and that I will possess a current, valid, and unrestricted state medical license by the end of my 2nd postgraduate year (30 June 2010) and maintain it during the entire length of training. Hope this helps.
 
Virginia is a decent state to get your license. They're on the cheaper side (a few hundred bucks), and the app was easy and very fast.
 
kingcer0x said:
Thanks for the advice. Do all states allow people to obtain licenses after PGY 1 only or just a few?
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This may be helpful. Most states require 1 year, but many states require 2.

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It would be nice to know whento take Step III and apply for licensure for someone who is just now finishing medical school and will be starting a prelim year. I dont think prelim gen surg is going to teach me anything and in fact i will probably just get dumber so timing is everything.
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At least in the Army, one must complete Step III before the end of PGY1, and have a full unrestricted medical license before the end of PGY2 (effectively precluding licensure in the states that require 2 PG years before licensing). I took Step III in November of my first year.
 
GeoLeoX said:
This may be helpful. Most states require 1 year, but many states require 2.

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At least in the Army, one must complete Step III before the end of PGY1, and have a full unrestricted medical license before the end of PGY2 (effectively precluding licensure in the states that require 2 PG years before licensing). I took Step III in November of my first year.
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That is helpful info, sounds like there are plenty of states which only require PGY-1 Definitely will take into account eventual state of practice, cost, etc.

I understand the requirements, in the AF we are told to have it no later than March 2009 for this upcoming intern class. I just think it will be easier to get it done with as early as possible since I will be doing a Gen Surg internship.
 
Tired said:
If you're going to do flight surgery, you'll need it done well before then.

In the Navy, there are many stories of people royally screwing themselves (and the outgoing GMO) by not getting their license stuff sorted out prior to reporting to the duty station.
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Yes, I was wondering about this. I guess I need to get the ball rolling then. BomberDoc, when did you start applying for your license? Thanks.
 
Tired said:
In the Navy, there are many stories of people royally screwing themselves (and the outgoing GMO) by not getting their license stuff sorted out prior to reporting to the duty station.
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That checks for the Air Force, too. A lot of GMOs wait to apply for a state license and end up waiting weeks to months for it after they are ordered to active duty. This totally hoses the gaining base since they are expecting a licensed doc. I have seen PCS and separations screwed up because of this. Don't be that guy. Take Step 3 no later than halfway through internship and once you have your scores, apply for a state license. Indiana is a very common state for mil docs to get licensed in because they make it pretty painless. If you know you want to practice in a particular location after getting out of the military, get licensed there.
 
BomberDoc said:
That checks for the Air Force, too. A lot of GMOs wait to apply for a state license and end up waiting weeks to months for it after they are ordered to active duty. This totally hoses the gaining base since they are expecting a licensed doc. I have seen PCS and separations screwed up because of this. Don't be that guy. Take Step 3 no later than halfway through internship and once you have your scores, apply for a state license. Indiana is a very common state for mil docs to get licensed in because they make it pretty painless. If you know you want to practice in a particular location after getting out of the military, get licensed there.
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So you can start submitting documents to the State Board once you've passed Step 3? I know that you can't "officially" apply until your program director signs off on you completing your intern year. I have been wondering about the timeframe for all of this, because I have been told that once everything has been submitted and you've sent the money, it can take up to 60 days to receive your license. I would love to be able to submit everything now, so that the only thing I have pending is my program director signing the paper saying I have completed this year.
 
trattoria said:
So you can start submitting documents to the State Board once you've passed Step 3? I know that you can't "officially" apply until your program director signs off on you completing your intern year. I have been wondering about the timeframe for all of this, because I have been told that once everything has been submitted and you've sent the money, it can take up to 60 days to receive your license. I would love to be able to submit everything now, so that the only thing I have pending is my program director signing the paper saying I have completed this year.
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Many states are utilizing the FCVS service (www.fcvs.org) to organize the materials that you will need to submit. When I signed up for Step III there was an option to also sign up for FCVS. It turned out to be a good idea because I found that when I applied for my license in Ohio it was required that the applicant used FCVS.

I would download an application from the state you are interested in. Most state boards have fairly comprehensive websites with applications and instructions. Read through it. I have also found that calling someone at the state board can be helpful.

To answer your original question, at least in Ohio your application will be piecemeal and many of those pieces can be sent before completing the year. I would also look into the renewal process for a license. It paid for me to wait a few months to apply because of the rolling renewal process in Ohio I was able to get a full three year license that was valid through the remainder of my residency.
 
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Anyone know if South Carolina is painless to deal with?

Also, any truth to the rumor that military is exempt from renewal fees for Kansas?

Thanks
 
Not sure about Kansas. I hadn't heard that one . . .

But South Carolina, at least for a while, was making almost all of its applicants appear in person before the board.
 
deuist said:
Wow, is there a video like that for Florida?
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I would throw Florida out of your vocabulary....the cost of the license there is ridiculous, somewhere in the $1000 range. If you really want a license from there I would just wait until the end of your military career.
 
Tired said:
#1 - Never ever give up your Florida residency under any circumstances. No state taxes. I envy you.
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How would I go about keeping a Florida residency if I were living in another state? I would certainly have to change my address. Also, how are taxes taken care of if I'm generating money in another state?
 
deuist said:
How would I go about keeping a Florida residency if I were living in another state? I would certainly have to change my address. Also, how are taxes taken care of if I'm generating money in another state?
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Your taxes will be based on your home of record. If you wish to keep Florida, do not change your drivers license or voting registration. If you are in the military and assigned to another state, they cannot tax you. Your income would not be reported to the state you are living in. What can suck though is if you have a spouse earning an income in a state that has taxes. Hawaii requires that the income of the AD spouse be added into the equation and you only pay the percentage of taxes based on the percentage of the family income.

Say your spouse makes $15K and you make $85k. You would think your spouse could file with the $15K take the standard deduction and only have to pay a few dollars in taxes. Noooooooo. You need to figure the tax burden for $100K and pay 15% of that. I will admit that that sucked.
 
Home of Record is the state from which you entered the military and cannot usually be changed. When you separate/retire from the military, the military will use this to ship your household goods from your present base back to your Home of Record. When you separate/retire you may have your household goods shipped to whereever you want them, but how much the military pays is based upon the cost to send them from the present base to your home of record.

State of Legal Residence, on the other hand, can be changed as often as you wish. As was previously mentioned, this is what your state taxes are based upon. Other state benefits/rights can be dependent on this as well.

Another point is that usually you can have your car registered and have your driver's license in either your "home state" (state of legal residence) or the state that you are stationed in. This can be benefiical for active duty military members as there are some states (VA & MS, for example) where, normally you would have to pay a tax on the car every year when you register it as well as the normal registration fees, but if you are active duty, stationed there, and are a NON-RESIDENT, you are only responsible for the registration fee and not the tax. This works out to you having your car legally registered for only $25 - $35 a year.
 
Another thing to consider is CME. Indiana does NOT require CME.... So, Indiana is cheap, easy and quick, and does not require CME. We didn't know this when my husband obtained his license but it is certainly a plus.
 
Shouldice Repai said:
Kansas, so far is pretty painless to deal with and they confirmed the no renewal fees for active duty military. This is definitely the way to go!
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I have a Kansas license, because I was also fooled by their website. The Kansas Military license is not considered by the DoD to be an active unrestricted license. Therefore, it won't work for your purposes. What you will need is the Federal Active license which is $261 annually, and includes annual CME requirements, but which does not require proof of malpractice insurance. They informed me of this fact only after I had gone through the application process and paid the fees when I called them to request to change to the Military license. I think the military license is for those who plan to return to Kansas someday to practice and want to keep their license there (it's easier to reactivate a license than to reapply).

You're better off with Indiana or Nebraska.
 
Is it possible to apply for a license in another state even though you are not physically there to work? I will be starting residency this summer. The state I am in does not allow me to get an unrestricted license until pgy-2. I want to joing the FAP program, but I need to get my license in PGY-1....can't I just apply for a license in another state as well?
 
bogatyr said:
I have a Kansas license, because I was also fooled by their website. The Kansas Military license is not considered by the DoD to be an active unrestricted license. Therefore, it won't work for your purposes. What you will need is the Federal Active license which is $261 annually, and includes annual CME requirements, but which does not require proof of malpractice insurance. They informed me of this fact only after I had gone through the application process and paid the fees when I called them to request to change to the Military license. I think the military license is for those who plan to return to Kansas someday to practice and want to keep their license there (it's easier to reactivate a license than to reapply).

You're better off with Indiana or Nebraska.
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Same thing for the military license in CA. The only value for these licenses are for people who had a license in that state and may come back some day. You need a current unrestricted license. Go Indiana. You can renew online. Just be aware that the address you give them will be searchable somehow because the po box I used gets junkmail for "indiana doctor".
 
Ok, so just applying for the regular old Indiana license will get me what I need without having to worry about anything else like the Kansas technicalities? Thanks.
 
I am a FL resident. I'm not sure where I want to live after the military, but obviously I want to maintain my residency for tax purposes. I have relatives in both FL and TX to keep an address in a tax free state.

I originally planned on getting my license in FL, although I do not know if I will live there post military. However, after reading the thread about how expensive FL is, I have a question. Can I just pick some arbitrary state I have never been to and have no intention of ever living in (Indiana from what I read here so far) and get a medical license there simply to be licensed for the duration of my military service without threatening my FL resident status? Moolighting is not an issue for me.

So I would be a FL resident licensed in IN and living in WA practicing military medicine. Would such a scenario cause me any problems?
 
I am a FL resident. I'm not sure where I want to live after the military, but obviously I want to maintain my residency for tax purposes. I have relatives in both FL and TX to keep an address in a tax free state.

I originally planned on getting my license in FL, although I do not know if I will live there post military. However, after reading the thread about how expensive FL is, I have a question. Can I just pick some arbitrary state I have never been to and have no intention of ever living in (Indiana from what I read here so far) and get a medical license there simply to be licensed for the duration of my military service without threatening my FL resident status? Moolighting is not an issue for me.

So I would be a FL resident licensed in IN and living in WA practicing military medicine. Would such a scenario cause me any problems?
 
zingbot167 said:
So I would be a FL resident licensed in IN and living in WA practicing military medicine. Would such a scenario cause me any problems?
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That's what I'm doing. I think it's what most of us are doing
 
www.fsmb.org/usmle_eliinitial.html
www.medscape.org/public/staterequirements

This thread is 5 years old.
CA fee is like $1200
DC fee is like $800
VA fee is like $300
IN fee is like $250
Today

Do not know much about renewals and cme.
Was looking this up to see if I could take step 3 before internship but seems unlikely.

Still curious about the license, still IN is best?
 
Last edited:
I got one from Virginia. Took about 2.5 weeks after sending the application to get the license. Pennsylvania is the cheapest at $30 for an initial fee. I don't know how long it takes to get the license.
 
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