All Branch Topic (ABT) Renewal of the CA medical license

[DrMetal]

Was wondering how much it costs to renew the CA ML. Is it free to do so? This paragraph makes it seem so.

Also, if we're doing a gmo, do we have to do CME for license renewal?

http://www.mbc.ca.gov/Licensees/License_Renewal/Physicians_and_Surgeons.aspx
Fee Exempt Renewals:
A physician who holds a military, retired, voluntary service or disabled status license is exempt from paying the $820.00 renewal fee. However, every physician is still required to pay the $25.00 and $12.00 mandatory fees at time of renewal. If the mandatory fees are not received prior to the expiration date, the license will be placed in a delinquent status and a pocket license will not be issued.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MTGas2B]

One cannot practice with a military CA license. It is designed to allow military members to keep their CA license dormant while in the military. If you do this the military will want you to have an active license somewhere else.

Washington state does allow free renewal for military without any practice restrictions. However WA requires 2 years GME to get a full license.

 

[DrMetal]

One cannot practice with a military CA license. It is designed to allow military members to keep their CA license dormant while in the military. If you do this the military will want you to have an active license somewhere else.

Washington state does allow free renewal for military without any practice restrictions. However WA requires 2 years GME to get a full license.

Got it, thank you. So the 'military status' designation is for someone who choses to put their CA ML in hiatus, while serving, b/c they dont intend to practice in CA (or at a non-mil facility in CA).

 

[MTGas2B]

That's my understanding. On the military side you would still need an active license somewhere else.

 

[46&2]

That's my understanding. On the military side you would still need an active license somewhere else.

I'm active duty, have had a California medical license for 6 years, and renewed recently for only $25.00. No one has ever made me get licensed in another state. If you want to practice outside a military hospital, e.g. moonlight, then you should pay the full $820.

It takes a long time for California to process the renewal. I would start at least 3 months out from expiration. You have to fill out the military exemption form on your website and get someone in your chain of command to sign in. Send in $25 and watch the bureaucracy grind. If you don't hear anything after 6 weeks, call them, because they can lose parts of application. I spent over 2 hours of my life on hold dealing with the medical board.

I would do the CME even if you're GMO. The website states somewhere that military isn't exempt from the CME requirement- we should be doing it anyway. A big criticism I have of military medicine is how medical education is secondary to SWANK, ADLS, and other online training.

 

[DrMetal]

I'm active duty, have had a California medical license for 6 years, and renewed recently for only $25.00. No one has ever made me get licensed in another state.

Ok, so you continued to practice at an MTF (or a military clinic), with just this special 'military status' CA ML? So then, what exactly is the verbage behind the 'militar status' CA ML? Allowed to practice with it at an MTF? What about in an operational setting?

 

[Gastrapathy]

.

 

[DrMetal]

, if you want the real answer, ask medical staff services. Unless something has changed, you won't get the answer you want.

What answer?? That i dont wanna pay the $825 to renew?, damn right. Vermont here I come. I'll look into it, if I find out anything different I'll post here

 

[pgg]

Ok, so you continued to practice at an MTF (or a military clinic), with just this special 'military status' CA ML? So then, what exactly is the verbage behind the 'militar status' CA ML? Allowed to practice with it at an MTF? What about in an operational setting?

It may be that his credentialing office simply screwed up.

I just dealt with this a couple months ago - one of our surgeons had a discounted state license with a military clause and was a couple days from having privileges suspended because he didn't have an unrestricted license. He had to pay for an unrestricted license.

 

[colbgw02]

It's pretty amazing, yet not surprising, that the military gets all hot and bothered about having an unrestricted medical license considering they routinely don't provide enough training to allow such a license from ~1/3 of states. And even if you're still in training, God help you if you don't get that license before the end of PGY-2.

 

[MTGas2B]

It may be that his credentialing office simply screwed up.

I just dealt with this a couple months ago - one of our surgeons had a discounted state license with a military clause and was a couple days from having privileges suspended because he didn't have an unrestricted license. He had to pay for an unrestricted license.

What state was the surgeons license in?

 

[pgg]

Think it was Florida.