Question about timeline for initial education license (MI)

[bpperry]

Hey all,

M4 getting ready to a general surgery residency in the state of Michigan. I'm currently stressed/wondering about the timeframe for obtaining your initial educational license. The Michigan application system has been down (they're transitioning to a new database or something) and I was unable to get my application in before the downtime. What have been your experiences with getting your license number as an intern?

Thanks!

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[mvenus929]

I dealt a lot with intern scheduling, and we had a handful of interns who didn’t get their licenses in time to start. It’s out of your hands as the intern, though, assuming you’ve filled out all the paperwork. The boards know you need it to start.

I had to have two state licenses for my fellowship (lived in a border city), and it wasn’t until mid-August that I got my license for the second state, so I wasn’t allowed to do any clinical work there for the first month and a half of fellowship. But neither were any of the other new fellows, cause the board messed up on everyone.

 

[Aonyx]

I cant speak to the current situation with downtime, I was applying for my MI permanent license before the downtime happened and the process was amazingly quick. People told me it could take 3 months and it took me 2-3 weeks including my DEA number (which you wont need for educational license). I dont remember how long the educational license took as the program took care of most of it after I filled the paperwork out. I am certain you aren't the only having an issue. This was a terrible time for them to do this with PGY1s across the state getting ready to start and senior residents getting permanent licenses for moonlighting or attending jobs. They should have it wrapped up before July 1st or else a lot of programs will be short on manpower.

 

[Winged Scapula]

If you have submitted everything asked of you this is your Program’s problem not yours.

 

[bpperry]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies! To further clarify, it is up to us (not the program) to submit our application. It was really unfortunate that I was out of town and came back to find the system down for a month

I did submit all of the paperwork required apart from the application (which the state said would be quicker if done online via the new system rather than submitting a paper app which would have to be manually added to the new system) several weeks ago, so my timetable is pretty much: apply ASAP on 5/6 when the system comes up. I realize it was probably my responsibility to log on to the system and check it out as soon as I could; obviously I would have found a way to apply while I was away if I had known that they'd shut the system down for a month.

I notified my program coordinator immediately after seeing the downtime message, so they're aware of the situation.

 

[rokshana]

Wow! I’ve never heard of that! Usually GME and PC take care of licensing since I would imagine they don’t want something as important as that out of their hands.

 

[bpperry]

Wow! I’ve never heard of that! Usually GME and PC take care of licensing since I would imagine they don’t want something as important as that out of their hands.

Yeah, kind of wish that was the case for me lol. Just really don't understand why they'd do a massive month-long system update at almost the worst possible time. It's obviously for more than physician licenses, but... still.

 

[bpperry]

Another update to the saga:

Michigan requires a form to be sent to them by the medical school saying that we have or will receive our degree on graduation. I was under the impression that as long as I was expected to graduate, they could complete and mail the form to the state.

Now, my school's registrar admin is telling me that they cannot even send the form until the day we graduate (May 28th). I've already contacted my PC who is talking to the GME office, but essentially my application may not even be complete until the beginning of June at the earliest...

I understand that now the issue is REALLY out of my hands, but this seems really silly to me. Anyone else had this issue?

 

[rokshana]

Another update to the saga:

Michigan requires a form to be sent to them by the medical school saying that we have or will receive our degree on graduation. I was under the impression that as long as I was expected to graduate, they could complete and mail the form to the state.

Now, my school's registrar admin is telling me that they cannot even send the form until the day we graduate (May 28th). I've already contacted my PC who is talking to the GME office, but essentially my application may not even be complete until the beginning of June at the earliest...

I understand that now the issue is REALLY out of my hands, but this seems really silly to me. Anyone else had this issue?

That’s not so unusual...sucks that your graduation date is so late...just keep your GME up to date and ask your school if they can send stuff overnight priority ( tell them you will pay for it)...

My school’s graduation was in the middle of June and actually managed to get it moved to the middle of May, but realized the issue the end of second year and I’m bossy ( and got a lot of people involved to change the date) and wouldn’t give up...I’m sure my poor chancellor just shook his head when this came up (but his wife likes me!).

 

[bpperry]

That’s not so unusual...sucks that your graduation date is so late...just keep your GME up to date and ask your school if they can send stuff overnight priority ( tell them you will pay for it)...

My school’s graduation was in the middle of June and actually managed to get it moved to the middle of May, but realized the issue the end of second year and I’m bossy ( and got a lot of people involved to change the date) and wouldn’t give up...I’m sure my poor chancellor just shook his head when this came up (but his wife likes me!).

My classmates going to Wisconsin are in the same boat as me... I'm assuming others are as well.

I actually called the Michigan bureau of professional licensing and they told me that my school can, in fact, send in before I've actually graduated (some states apparently will not allow it) so I'm going to try and bring emails from the State to my school's office of student affairs tomorrow... hopefully they will just send it after they see the State bureau encourages it