Medical Licensing Services

[Lodoc]

I'm currently leaving one state and looking for jobs in at least four others. I'm thinking about getting my license in all four of these other states as some places won't even look at me without a license. I really don't feel like filling out state applications for four different places. Has anyone used one of the medical licensing services? Are they worth it? Do they really have expedited services? If so, which ones have you used and how was your experience? I've read a few other posts on here about that from a few years ago, but no one really answered those questions. I have also heard that the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) can take up to 8-12 months and I don't have enough time to wait that long.
Thanks for any input.

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[Smurfette]

Do you only have a temporary (training) license? Did you finish (or currently in process of finishing) a residency?

If a place won't look at you because you are not yet licensed in that state, there is something else going on. Traditionally, if you are hired somewhere, they will then help you to obtain and likely pay for your license in that state. I've never heard of a state license being a prerequisite for a job. Usually you need to be eligible to get a license in that state which simply means having passed all USMLEs and completing x years of residency training.

Do not waste your money getting licensed in states where you are not likely to practice. Every state license you get will need to be listed for the rest of your career when applying for privileges, etc. Also, they will have to inquire every state in which you've ever held a license to make sure you have no disciplinary actions, etc.; this can delay privileging and licensing for you in the future as there is no guarantee that these state bureaucracies will respond to the inquiry in a timely fashion.

I have not used FCVS, but there are several threads (some of them fairly recent) about them and their inefficiency. The impression I had was that if you are applying to a state that doesn't require FCVS, doing it all yourself can speed things along and be more accurate. I could be wrong on this. I think Winged Scapula has had issues with them that she's posted about (try doing a search).

 

[Lodoc]

Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I'm already fully licensed in one state - clean record, no disciplinary issues, but apparently some places (i.e. California) are advertising jobs for physicians that are "already licensed". Seems like they need someone quickly and don't want to have to wait for them to get licensed. Apparently getting a license in a state like CA can take up to 6-9 months! So it is kind of understandable. I just felt like if I was already licensed it would be one less "thing" they would have to worry about and it might make me a more attractive candidate if they knew I could start immediately.

 

[Buzz Me]

I used FCVS for moonlighting purposes and know that some states use it when you're applying for licensing. It took a while to get all the paperwork processed, though (2-3 months).