Title: Licensure of Foreign-Trained Physicians

Summary: Establishes licensure requirements for certain foreign-trained physicians; authorizes Board of Medicine to impose licensure restrictions, limitations, or conditions on certain foreign-trained physicians.

Full Text:
An act relating to licensure of foreign-trained physicians; amending s. 458.311, F.S.; establishing licensure requirements for certain foreign-trained physicians; authorizing the Board of Medicine to impose licensure restrictions, limitations, or conditions on certain foreign-trained physicians; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Paragraphs (f) and (h) of subsection (1) and subsection (7) of section 458.311, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 458.311 Licensure by examination; requirements; fees.-(1) Any person desiring to be licensed as a physician, who does not hold a valid license in any state, shall apply to the department on forms furnished by the department. The department shall license each applicant who the board certifies: (f) Meets one of the following medical education and postgraduate training requirements: 1.a. Is a gradu ate of an allopathic medical school or allopathic college recognized and approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Office of Education or is a graduate of an allopathic medical school or allopathic college within a territorial juris diction of the United States HB 1277 2016 recognized by the accrediting agency of the governmental body of that jurisdiction; b. If the language of instruction of the medical school is other than English, has demonstrated competency in English through presentation of a satisfactory grade on the Test of Spoken English of the Educational Testing Service or a similar test approved by rule of the board; and c. Has completed an approved residency of at least year. 2.a. Is a graduate of an allopathic foreign medical school registered with the World Health Organization and certified pursuant to s. 458.314 as having met the standards required to accredit medical schools in the United States or reasonably comparable standards; b. If the language of instruction of the fo reign medical school is other than English, has demonstrated competency in English through presentation of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates English proficiency certificate or by a satisfactory grade on the Test of Spoken English of the Educational Testing Service or a similar test approved by rule of the board; and c. Has completed an approved residency of at least year. 3.a. Is a graduate of an allopathic foreign medical school which has not been certified pursuant to s. 458.3 14; b. Has had his or her medical credentials evaluated by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, holds an active, valid certificate issued by that commission, and has HB 1277 2016 passed the examination utilized by that commission; and c. Has co mpleted an approved residency of at least year; however, after October 1, 1992, the applicant shall have completed an approved residency or fellowship of at least 56 years in one specialty area. However, to be acceptable, the fellowship experience and tra ining must be counted toward regular or subspecialty certification by a board recognized and certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties. 4.a. Is a graduate of an allopathic foreign medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schoo ls produced as a joint venture of the World Federation for Medical Education and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and accredited by an accrediting agency re cognized by the governmental body of the foreign jurisdiction, but which is not certified pursuant to s. 458.314; b. If the language of instruction of the foreign medical school is other than English, has demonstrated competency in English through presen tation of a satisfactory grade on the Test of Spoken English of the Educational Testing Service or a similar test approved by rule of the board; c. Has completed a board-approved residency or fellowship of at least year in one specialty area, which mus tbe counted toward regular or subspecialty certification by a board recognized and certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties; and HB 1277 2016 d. Has held an active physician license and practiced medicine in a foreign jurisdiction for at least the years immediately preceding the application for licensure under this section. (h) Has obtained a passing score, as established by rule of the board, on the licensure examination of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE); or a combination of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), the examination of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc. (FLEX), or the examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners up to the year 2000; or for the purpose of examination of any applicant who was licensed on the basis of a state board examination and who is currently licensed in at least one other jurisdiction of the United States or Canada, and who has practiced pursuant to such licensure for a period of at least years, use of the Special Purpose Examination of the Federation of Sta te Medical Boards of the United States (SPEX) upon receipt of a passing score as established by rule of the board. An applicant meeting the medical education and postgraduate training requirements in subparagraph (f)4. may meet the examination requirement of this paragraph by obtaining a passing score on an examination determined by the board to be substantially equivalent to, or more stringent than, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). However, for the purpose of examination of any appl icant who was licensed on the basis of a state board HB 1277 2016 examination prior to 1974, who is currently licensed in at least three other jurisdictions of the United States or Canada, and who has practiced pursuant to such licensure for a period of at least yea rs, this paragraph does not apply. (7) Upon certification by the board, the department shall impose conditions, limitations, or restrictions on a license if the applicant is on probation in another jurisdiction for an act which would constitute a violati on of this chapter. The board may certify an applicant for licensure who has met the medical education and postgraduate training requirements under subparagraph (1)(f)4. and all other licensure requirements with a condition, limitation, or restriction, inc luding, but not limited to, a probationary period of practice, a scope of practice limitation, or a supervision requirement, which shall be imposed by the department for a duration specified by the board. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 016.