Provisional licenses to practice medicine and surgery for internationally trained physicians and physician assistants and granting rule-making authority. (FE)

(6) the applicant has passed all steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Federation of State Medical Boards, or their successor organizations; (7) the applicant has, or will have prior to working as a physician in this state, a federal immigration status and employment authorization that enables the applicant to work as a physician in this state; and (8) the applicant possesses basic fluency in the English language. Under the bill, “international medical program” is defined to mean any medical school, residency program, medical internship program, or other program that is approved by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates or provides individuals with a medical education or training outside the United States that is substantially similar to the training required to qualify to practice medicine and surgery in this state.

Under current law, the Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board is attached to the Medical Examining Board and is responsible for the licensing and regulation of physician assistants. The Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board must issue licenses to practice as a physician assistant to any applicant who is found qualified by three-fourths of the members of the board and who satisfies certain requirements including that the applicant has successfully completed an educational program for physician assistants or physician associates that is described under current law or has successfully passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination prior to January 1, 1986. This bill provides that an applicant for a license as a physician assistant does not have to complete the educational program described under current law if the applicant provides evidence satisfactory to the Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board that the applicant is licensed as a physician assistant or physician associate in a qualified country, that the applicant is in good standing with the licensing or regulatory institution in the qualified country, that the applicant can speak fluently in the English language, and that the applicant is lawfully admitted to work as a physician assistant in the United States. Under the bill, “qualified country” is defined to mean a country that the Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board determines by rule has set educational requirements for obtaining a license to practice as a physician assistant or physician associate in that country that are substantially equivalent to the educational requirements for licensure as a physician assistant in this state.