Where to get your medical license?

[bogatyr]

For those of you who don't know, you must have a medical license from some state, any state, by the end of your PGY-2 year in order to practice medicine in the military. I would assume GMOs have to be licensed also.

I have started to do some research on this using the FSMB website, but found it entirely tedious to search the requirements of every state. I thought I'd see if anyone out there has already looked into this and would share their knowledge. From what state is it the cheapest and easiest to obtain a license? I've anecdotally heard many residents who license in Indiana as it is a $250 application fee, then $200 every 2 years. Are there any comparable or better deals out there?

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[Capt_Mac]

I got mine from Nebraska, it was relatively painless application, 200$ renewed every two years and the renewal fee is waived for military. Pretty nice....

 

[MoosePilot]

Do you know where you're likely to retire/settle down when you get out in 4 years? If so, it seems like it would be easiest to get your license there, so you have it when you decide to go home and practice.

 

[ishii123]

If you plan to practice military medicine for 20 years and retire, then you're required to have AT LEAST 1 medical license from any state in the USA. The state you choose is up to you (so you can choose Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota because you love these locations and eventually want to settle down there after retiring)

HERE'S SOME GOUGE ON CHOOSING A STATE:

- Virginia has a relatively easy medical license application. Plus, it's a nice state to settle in.

http://www.dhp.state.va.us/medicine/medicine_forms.htm


- I hear that Indiana has the cheapest rates in the USA and it's application is also relatively easy and painless. But who would want to settle down in Indiana?!

- My colleagues tell me that California is a HORRIBLE, PAINFUL, and LONG process.

- For South Carolina, you need to interview in-person for a medical license. However, only a few locations in South Carolina offer interviews. You must schedule an appointment for an interview.

 

[usnavdoc]

Dont worry about where you want to settle down. Thats years away and you can get that liscense at that time if it happens to be from another state.

The only thing to consider is do you want to moonlight. Some commands view this negatively others do not. If you do not want to moonlight as most dont. then just get the easiest/cheapest liscense out there.

Sounds like nebraska is a winner.

I got NC but if I had known about nebraska then thats what i would have done

 

[edmadison]

I agree with all who posted above. I got mine a few months ago in Virginia. It wasn't too bad to get. Remember states only take USMLE score for a limited amount of time. States like Florida don't want old doctors retiring there and setting up small practices. Thus, if you intend on moving to a particular state in the future, check and see how easy it is to transfer in.

Ed

 

[island doc]

For those of you who don't know, you must have a medical license from some state, any state, by the end of your PGY-2 year in order to practice medicine in the military. I would assume GMOs have to be licensed also.

I have started to do some research on this using the FSMB website, but found it entirely tedious to search the requirements of every state. I thought I'd see if anyone out there has already looked into this and would share their knowledge. From what state is it the cheapest and easiest to obtain a license? I've anecdotally heard many residents who license in Indiana as it is a $250 application fee, then $200 every 2 years. Are there any comparable or better deals out there?

I recommend that you do the following: Obtain your first license, and DEA registration, in the state in which your residency is located. Reason being, if you should have the need to write a prescription to be filled at a local civilian pharmacy, you can do so. You never know when a friend or family member might need some cough medicine in the middle of the night, etc, etc. A license in the state where you are living is very handy on these types of occasions. Also, you may wish to moonlight as a resident, if allowed.

Furthermore, I recommend that as soon as you receive your first assignment, that you apply for a license in the state you will be moving to, for the same reasons, you never know when you may need/want to moonlight. I moonlighted alot in civilian ER's during the time I was on active duty as an ER GMO and made a boat load of money doing so.

There is no point in getting a medical license in some far off state, unless your entire medical practice is going to be spent strictly within the MTF cocoon.

 

[R-Me-Doc]

If you plan to practice military medicine for 20 years and retire, then you're required to have AT LEAST 1 medical license from any state in the USA. The state you choose is up to you (so you can choose Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota because you love these locations and eventually want to settle down there after retiring)

HERE'S SOME GOUGE ON CHOOSING A STATE:

- Virginia has a relatively easy medical license application. Plus, it's a nice state to settle in.

http://www.dhp.state.va.us/medicine/medicine_forms.htm


- I hear that Indiana has the cheapest rates in the USA and it's application is also relatively easy and painless. But who would want to settle down in Indiana?!

Indiana used to be the best license bargain in country. When I got my license there in '98 it was 40 bucks and a one-page application. Since then, however, they've raised the cost to $200. Still not too bad.

As for settling down in Indiana, well, although I will admit I am not likely to do it, I can tell you that Indiana has arguably THE BEST malpractice climate in the nation and is in fact a model for how other states should structure their medical-legal systems. Just ask all the docs from Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois who have crossed the border to Indy in the last 5 years.

RMD 0-6-23

 

[f_w]

Make sure that you know what obligations come with having an active license in a particular state. Some require to keep up on CMEs, others make you pay into their 'physician compensation fund' (an instrument used in some high-liability states to reduce the malpractice premiums for OBs).

Also, look at the renewal fee, rather than the initial licensure. The other thing to consider is what paperwork they require for your application. Some of the stuff (like the AMA physician profile, the NPDB abstract) costs you extra. Other medical boards just query these databases directly (without a fee).

 

[Capt_Mac]

Here here to what Island doc said...

There is some wisdom to getting your license in the state where you want to practice when you get out. If you wait while you are in the military you will eventually have to get reports from each hospital where you practiced and I have been told that it can be painful.

As I still have a couple years left in my residency, Nebraska is cheap and easy. During my chief year, I will get my Texas state license (inordinately painful and expensive), so I won't have to worry about it later.

 

[bogatyr]

Another problem is that some states require you to have 2 years of training before you can get licensed, while the military threatens to kick you out of your residency if you aren't licensed before the end of your PGY-2 year. So I wonder if anyone at Madigan gets licensed in the state of Washington for their first license?

 

[island doc]

One thing that I found extremely helpful was to hire a medical license consulting firm that is physically located near the office of the State Medical Board you are applying to, and that has a close working relationship with them. The license consulting firm prepares the application, does all the work for you, all you have to do is supply them with some basic information, sign forms, and they take care of all the rest. This is especially helpful in those states where the licensing process is more onerous such as Texas, Florida, etc. There are many licensing services out there who will be glad to take your money and provide poor service, so select one carefully. It is a waste of money to hire one that is located in a different state to the one you are applying to.

The best money I ever spent was to hire a professional medical license consulting firm to assist in obtaining a medical license which would usually take an individual working alone many months to get, I had one in a matter of weeks. They made it quick and easy.

 

[R-Me-Doc]

Another problem is that some states require you to have 2 years of training before you can get licensed, while the military threatens to kick you out of your residency if you aren't licensed before the end of your PGY-2 year. So I wonder if anyone at Madigan gets licensed in the state of Washington for their first license?

Nope. In fact, we were told to get licences from somewhere else.


RMD 0-6-21

 

[bustbones26]

You can get an osteopathic medical lisence in Washington after one year of training. But its very expensive, I will be looking elsewhere

 

[Capt_Mac]

One thing that I found extremely helpful was to hire a medical license consulting firm that is physically located near the office of the State Medical Board you are applying to, and that has a close working relationship with them. The license consulting firm prepares the application, does all the work for you, all you have to do is supply them with some basic information, sign forms, and they take care of all the rest. This is especially helpful in those states where the licensing process is more onerous such as Texas, Florida, etc. There are many licensing services out there who will be glad to take your money and provide poor service, so select one carefully. It is a waste of money to hire one that is located in a different state to the one you are applying to.

The best money I ever spent was to hire a professional medical license consulting firm to assist in obtaining a medical license which would usually take an individual working alone many months to get, I had one in a matter of weeks. They made it quick and easy.

Once we start looking at getting out, like yourself, that is not a bad idea. Right now when a license from anywhere we want it sounds like a real waste of money. For some states like Texas and the repulik of Kalifornia this maybe pretty helpful.

 

[helo doc]

For all you Navy types out there, I'd recommend Virginia. Ditto the comments above about being relatively inexpensive (not as cheap as the Cornhuskers though) and fairly user friendly. Plus, with the world's largest Naval complex in Virginia, there's a reasonable chance you'll wind up there in the not so distant future.

Waiting for the GMESB results.... only 45 hours to go, but who's counting??

 

[ZizAniE13]

Seems like CA, while it is a complicated process, has its renewal fees reimbursed for AD Military. Its a pain in the ass bunch of extra paperwork, but long term it might be a lot cheaper.

 

[MTGas2B]

The fee exempt CA license doesn't qualify as an unrestricted license. You have to hold at least one unrestricted license to practice as a military physician.


On the iPhone

 

[MTGas2B]

I'll put my $0.02 in for Washington state. You can't get a license there until you've completed two years of GME, sorry GMOs. But renewal fees are free for active duty and there is no practice restriction, so it works for military practice and you could moonlight in WA with it.

My thoughts as a holder of a WA and a CA license.



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[Navy Flight Doc]

This is a GREAT thread to re-open! Might be a little late for those looking into it for this year though. I wish I had found this when I applied in 2007. I first got VA (because I didn't know and that's what everyone else was doing). It was ok, but nothing special. Then heard about the awesome Nebraska deal. Applied there and let VA lapse ("inactive"). Nebraska was cheap up front (around $200 at the time), FREE for military to renew, and waived the CME requirements! That's the best deal out there that I've heard of so far.

Bottom line is the question of whether you want to moonlight (or even volunteer). If so, you'll need a license for that state. If not, go with Nebraska! Even if you get out in 4 years, that's a lot of money and time tracking CMEs that you will have saved (though is it then unethical to cash in on the Navy's 1-free-CME-conference-a-year gig? Discussion for another post if that one's not out there yet...)

 

[deuist]

If you need a quick and cheap license, Pennsylvania is $35 to apply.