Preparing your Application for the State Medical Board
5 Tips to Help You During the State Medical Licensing Process
Obtaining a medical license may seem overwhelming, both veteran and new doctors can certainly attest to this. A medical license granted by a U.S. state or jurisdiction is required of every physician before practicing medicine. Medical licensing boards and statutes can vary from state to state and oftentimes be complex and confusing, depending on each state’s resources, regulations and state laws.
While there may be a trend toward uniformity of requirements among licensing boards, automatic reciprocity between state medical boards has for the most part been discontinued. Current state licensure processes require physicians and medical professionals to complete individual applications for each and every state in which they seek to practice medicine in any form, including telemedicine. Since each state has its own licensing board, the process can even be more difficult for physicians who seek to practice medicine in more than one state. This could mean that you have to go through the licensure process multiple times.
Confirm Current State Medical License Requirements
When you first inquire from your respective state licensing board about their process, make sure to ask for an updated list of state medical license requirements. Although this kind of information can easily be found on the website for most states, it is always best to verify it is accurate and up-to-date to ensure that your understand what you need to do upfront.
There is nothing more frustrating than thinking you have completed all the necessary documentation and state requirements, only to know on the day you’re submitting your medical license application that you lack an essential record. By confirming via email, phone call or personal visit, you can avoid ending up in a situation where your license is delayed significantly which could hinder pending job opportunities. You may also want to ask about the expected processing time for your state because they can vary. It is important to allocate extra time in just in case you experience delays due to mistakes or no fault of your own.
Submit an Updated CV & Have All Documentation Ready
It is important that you do not forget to provide your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) to the state licensing board at the time you confirm the licensing requirements. This is for the state medical licensing board to review and advise you beforehand if there may be potential problems you need to attend to before processing your medical licensure application. This can also help expedite the state medical licensing process by assisting them with the information they need.
The majority of State Medical boards usually mandate that they receive important documents, like proof of education, transcripts, and training, directly from primary sources like your medical school and residency program. You will need to be prepared for medical board document requests by contacting your med school, residency program, or other primary sources and letting them know to expect medical board requests for your information.
Make Sure Your Paperwork is Accurate
One of the greatest barriers to an expedited state medical license is self-inflicted – the unintended errors and inaccuracies that derive from overworked physicians filling out state licensing applications after long hours at the hospital, while on call, or in-between seeing patients. It only takes one or two small errors, like information entered on the wrong line or completely omitted, and the licensing process will screech to a grinding halt. The more thorough you are when submitting your complete records and data to the state medical license board, the quicker they can approve your application.
Follow Up to Expedite the Process
Sure, you can guarantee that the licensing board, medical institutions, and hospitals will be able to process your documents, but you need to get things done quickly. If you are running out of time, you may want to contact and follow up your record requests. Frequently checking for updates may provide additional motivation to expedite processing your state physician application. You may want to write a letter or submit an email to the institution after a month of your initial application request, but remember to avoid harassing them with frequent phone calls.
Don’t Stress & Set Realistic Expectations
Even if you follow up diligently, it’s important to set realistic expectations for how quickly individual states will issue a license. Some states will expedite the physician licensing process in a matter of weeks, others take quite a bit longer, possibly several months or more. The overall process of obtaining a medical license can be a challenging and tedious experience. There’s nothing much you can do, but wait and hope that you will get your physicians license problem-free in 60 days or less.
Also, expect delays to happen. The state medical licensing board needs to evaluate the documents from all applicants carefully. During the peak months of state medical license applications, usually from April to September, the processing time is most likely to get delayed due to the increase in the number of physicians seeking to obtain a license.
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CONCLUSION
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