Question about medical licenses

[Messerschmitts]

I'm currently working in California, but am planning to leave the state after summer of 2019 due to a variety of practical and personal reasons. I don't know exactly where I am going yet (depends on what jobs are available closer to my date of planned departure), but I am doing some research on timelines to obtain an out of state medical license.

Many of the jobs I see on postings require current license in that state, so I was thinking about getting a license ahead of time to expedite (likely Kentucky where my in-laws live), but most state licensing bodies require employer verification of current location of employment. If I ask my boss (the medical director at my county) to sign forms, she'll naturally be suspicious, "why are you applying for out of state medical licenses? Are you quitting?"

Should I lie and say I'm thinking of doing telemedicine consulting work in my free time? Should I just wait and not apply for any licenses until I get a job? (By then her objections will be too late)? Does anyone have any experience with this awkward situation of secretly planning to leave a job, and needing your boss to sign verification forms for out-of-state medical licenses?

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[wolfvgang22]

I know you can get temporary medical licenses in my state. Many if not most employers will find a way to help you get your license of they want to hire you.

 

[st2205]

Why not do an inbetween and do a little bit of Kentucky telepsych for a few months?

 

[Trismegistus4]

Why not do an inbetween and do a little bit of Kentucky telepsych for a few months?

Yeah, when you're ready to leave, just call locums companies and ask them to find you a gig in Kentucky. They'll help you with the licensing paperwork, and you can do locums while you search for something permanent.

 

[Messerschmitts]

Yeah, when you're ready to leave, just call locums companies and ask them to find you a gig in Kentucky. They'll help you with the licensing paperwork, and you can do locums while you search for something permanent.

Thanks for the recommendation, but would prefer to take a permanent job with benefits, my wife and kids need health insurance. But interesting idea, I'll ponder it.

 

[Trismegistus4]

Thanks for the recommendation, but would prefer to take a permanent job with benefits, my wife and kids need health insurance. But interesting idea, I'll ponder it.

You'd have to crunch the numbers by finding out how much your current employer is spending on benefits. Often in these discussions "benefits" are treated as the trump card, automatically making any employed position better than any independent contracting position, but the total value of benefits usually isn't equal to or greater than the difference between your salary and what you could make as an independent contractor. I regularly get emails from locums recruiters advertising $200 per hour. At that rate, if you continued your current health insurance via COBRA (which you can do for up to 18 months,) you'd make enough to pay your monthly premium in 1 day, 2 tops.

 

[hamstergang]

If I ask my boss (the medical director at my county) to sign forms, she'll naturally be suspicious, "why are you applying for out of state medical licenses? Are you quitting?"

Should I lie

Have you considered just telling the truth?

 

[SourceOfDenial]

You won't be able to move to KY and start practicing immediately anyway without a job lined up--it will take months to get credentialled, paneled. Kentucky's medical board does credentialling twice a year I believe as well, so this will take planning. Pick your start date, back up six months, start the process then.

 

[wolfvgang22]

You won't be able to move to KY and start practicing immediately anyway without a job lined up--it will take months to get credentialled, paneled. Kentucky's medical board does credentialling twice a year I believe as well, so this will take planning. Pick your start date, back up six months, start the process then.

That's ridiculous they only issue licenses twice per year. Do they have temporary licenses? No way hospitals are sitting around waiting 6 months to get staff on board.

 

[splik]

That's ridiculous they only issue licenses twice per year. Do they have temporary licenses? No way hospitals are sitting around waiting 6 months to get staff on board.

Yes they have temporary licenses but he won’t be able to get one if he doesn’t have a job lined up with a start date necessitating it

 

[Messerschmitts]

Have you considered just telling the truth?

I actually have, but it seems like a very awkward situation. "Huh, so you're planning on leaving us? Maybe I'll just fire you now", or "Please, please don't go" on a weekly basis, and make me feel even guiltier than I do now. I feel guilty because my current job actually treats me very well, and I was semi-voluntarily "nominated" by our medical director to participate in a bunch of initiatives and committees that will likely fall apart after I leave. The clinic has had a lot of staff turnover in the past. I genuinely feel bad about leaving and "abandoning" the clinic and my patients (not bad enough to stay LOL). But yeah maybe I'm catastrophising, maybe the director will say, "I'm sorry to hear that", but cooperate with helping me leave.

 

[Messerschmitts]

You won't be able to move to KY and start practicing immediately anyway without a job lined up--it will take months to get credentialled, paneled. Kentucky's medical board does credentialling twice a year I believe as well, so this will take planning. Pick your start date, back up six months, start the process then.

What?! That is news to me! Well this makes me want to start working on a KY license beforehand even more. But I am not 100% set yet, my in-laws live in southeastern KY, so eastern TN, WV, or even IN would be acceptable but KY would be preferred. Knoxville, TN would be very close to them though, so that would also be great.

 

[SourceOfDenial]

What?! That is news to me! Well this makes me want to start working on a KY license beforehand even more. But I am not 100% set yet, my in-laws live in southeastern KY, so eastern TN, WV, or even IN would be acceptable but KY would be preferred. Knoxville, TN would be very close to them though, so that would also be great.

Just call the KBML and talk to them. It's an easy office to deal with. If you're moving in summer 2019 start talking with folks this fall and you'll be fine. You won't have an issue getting a job lined up, especially if you want southeastern KY.

 

[clausewitz2]

Yes they have temporary licenses but he won’t be able to get one if he doesn’t have a job lined up with a start date necessitating it

Not sure how true this is in KY. I met a couple of docs who were moving to KY who were out of sync with the board's bi-annual credentialing schedule who definitely had a job with a start date that had to be pushed back by months.

 

[splik]

Not sure how true this is in KY. I met a couple of docs who were moving to KY who were out of sync with the board's bi-annual credentialing schedule who definitely had a job with a start date that had to be pushed back by months.

it could be that the job required a full unrestricted license as many do, but per the KY board website they do issue temporary licenses outside of the biannual credentialing, but I have no experience of that so can;t say whether that is the case or not.