Practicing in the US?

[ocean11]

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Hi all,

I have a quick question......... after completing an approved residency program in the US (& thus obviously completing USMLE I, II & III + TOEFL & CSA) is one licenced to practice in ANY state in the US...... is there anything else one needs to do? If one is practicing say in NY, can they practice in Texas? or Michigan without problem?

Thanx...

 

[Winged Scapula]

Licenses are issued by STATE medical boards, not a national one. While ostensibly eligible to practice in any state in the US, each state has its own requirements and application procedure. If you are doing residency in NY, you will have to apply to get a California license, for example.

Thus, you would be well advised to check with the requirements of any state you might be interested in practicing after residency. See http://www.fsmb.org

 

[Skip Intro]

Originally posted by Kimberli Cox
Licenses are issued by STATE medical boards, not a national one. While ostensibly eligible to practice in any state in the US, each state has its own requirements and application procedure. If you are doing residency in NY, you will have to apply to get a California license, for example.

Thus, you would be well advised to check with the requirements of any state you might be interested in practicing after residency. See http://www.fsmb.org

Good advice, especially with the sometimes fickle and occassionally changing requirements of individual states. The consensus is that California, Illinois, Pennsylvannia, and Texas seem to be the most "non-user-friendly" and difficult to navigate states with regards to licensure. Of course, there are an equal number of states who are literally begging to get docs to come there (Iowa, Oklahoma, to name a few) and I've heard stories of huge incentives (cash sign-on bonuses, large salaries, offers to pay off loans, etc.) being used to entice even non-physician practioners to some of the more rural areas where healthcare needs exceed capable and qualified people.

-Skip

 

[ocean11]

Thanx for the advice folks!

I'm just concerned that once I graduate from SGU I have to choose the state I want to practice in for the rest of my life! If I settle in NY for example I'm pretty much 'stuck' there...... does it matter were I do my residency in the US?

 

[Skip Intro]

Originally posted by ocean11
Thanx for the advice folks!

I'm just concerned that once I graduate from SGU I have to choose the state I want to practice in for the rest of my life! If I settle in NY for example I'm pretty much 'stuck' there...... does it matter were I do my residency in the US?

No. Don't think so. When you do your residency, you get a provisional license in that state. Once completed, the state board will grant you a full license to practice unsupervised. When this happens, it becomes much easier to get licensed in other states.

Some obstacles exist, but remember that about 25% of all doctors practicing in the U.S. are foreign-trained. That represents almost 200,000 doctors. Imagine if, all of the sudden, that resource no longer existed. It would be chaos. IMHO, the states that put up artificial barriers are only shooting themselves in the foot. And, of course, you can always sue.

-Skip

 

[Winged Scapula]

Originally posted by ocean11
Thanx for the advice folks!

I'm just concerned that once I graduate from SGU I have to choose the state I want to practice in for the rest of my life! If I settle in NY for example I'm pretty much 'stuck' there...... does it matter were I do my residency in the US?

As long as you complete an accredited residency program, you should have trouble getting licensed. That said, if you wish to practice in California, it would probably be easier to start there (ie, do a residency there). However, you will not be barred from any state on the basis of what state you did your residency in.
SGU is a "California-approved" school so I don't imagine that your medical education will be a problem for future licensure - in any state.

 

[pitman]

Kimberli I'm sure meant:

"..you shouldn't have trouble getting licensed."