Now – you’re in the home stretch.
- You made a plan.
- You applied and you interviewed.
- You negotiated, then signed a contract.
- You got THE JOB!
Congratulations!!
So now your to-do list looks like this:
- Buy a house
- Move
- Get the kids in school
- Get a license in the new state
- Get privileges at the new hospital
Timetable for licensure
Time to start planning for your license. Here’s a table indicating the average amount of time to get a state license. Some states also participate in the Interstate License Compact.
* See below to learn more about eligibility to participate.
| Low | |
| Alaska State Medical Board | 3-4 months |
| Colorado Medical Board | 1-3 months |
| Connecticut Medical Examining Board Department of Public Health | 1-3 months |
| Hawaii Medical Board | 3 months |
| Idaho Board of Medicine | 3-4 months |
| Indiana – Medical Licensing Board of Indiana | 3-4 months |
| Iowa Board of Medicine | 3-5 months |
| Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine | 3-4 months |
| Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure | 3-4 months |
| Michigan Board of Medicine | 3-4 months |
| Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery | 3-4 months |
| Minnesota Board of Medical Practice | 3-4 months |
| Montana Board of Medical Examiners | 3-4 months |
| Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery | 3-5 months |
| Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine | 3-4 months |
| New Mexico Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners | 3-4 months |
| New York State Board for Medicine (Licensure) | 3-5 months |
| North Dakota Board of Medicine | 3-5 months |
| Oregon Medical Board | 3-4 months |
| South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners | 3-4 months |
| Utah Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons Licensing Board | 2-3 months |
| Utah Physicians & Surgeons Licensing Board | 2-4 months |
| Wyoming Board of Medicine | 3-4 months |
| Medium | |
| Interstate Medical License Compact | |
| Alabama Board of Medical Examiners | 4-6 months |
| Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery | 4-6 months |
| Arizona Medical Board | 4-6 months |
| Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline | 4-6 months |
| District of Columbia Board of Medicine | 4-6 months |
| Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine | 4-6 months |
| Georgia Composite Medical Board | 3-4 months |
| Kansas State Board of Healing Arts | 4-6 months |
| Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure | 4-6 months |
| Maryland Board of Physicians | 4-6 months |
| Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure | 5-8 months |
| Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts | 3 – 5 months |
| Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners | 4-6 months |
| New Hampshire Board of Medicine | 4-6 months |
| New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners | 4-6 months |
| New Mexico Medical Board | 4-6 months |
| North Carolina Medical Board | 4-6 months |
| Ohio – State Medical Board of Ohio | 4-6 months |
| Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision | 4-6 months |
| Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners | 4-6 months |
| Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline | 4-6 months |
| South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners | 4-5 months |
| Vermont Board of Medical Practice | 2-6 months |
| Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons | 4-6 months |
| Washington Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery | 4-6 months |
| Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission (Medical Board) | 4-6 months |
| West Virginia Board of Medicine | 4-6 months |
| Wisconsin Medical Examining Board | 4-6 months |
| High | |
| Arkansas State Medical Board | 6 months |
| California – Medical Board of California | 5-7 months |
| California – Osteopathic Medical Board of California | 6-12 months |
| Florida Board of Medicine | 4-6 months |
| Illinois Division of Professional Regulation (Medical Board) | 4-6 months |
| Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners | 4-6 months |
| Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine | 6-8 months |
| Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine | 8-12 months |
| Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine | 6-8 months |
| Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination | 6-12 months |
| Tennessee State Board of Medical Examiners | 6-8 months |
| Texas Medical Board | 8-12 months |
| Virginia Board of Medicine | 8-12 months |
| West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine | 6-8 months |
Interstate Medical License Compact
From their website – https://www.imlcc.org/faqs/
In order to qualify for Compact participation, physicians must:
- Hold a full, unrestricted medical license in a Compact member state that can serve as a State of Principal License (SPL). (Refer to the Compact map on our homepage to see states the states that are currently participating.)
- At least one of the following also must apply:
- The physician’s primary residence is in the SPL
- At least 25% of the physician’s practice of medicine occurs in the SPL
- The physician is employed to practice medicine by a person, business or organization located in the SPL
- The physician uses the SPL as his or her state of residence for U.S. Federal Income Tax purposes.
(Note: Physicians must maintain their SPL status at all times. An SPL may be updated after a physician receives a letter of qualification to participate in the Compact.)
- Have graduated from an accredited medical school, or a school listed in the International Medical Education Directory
- Have successfully completed ACGME- or AOA-accredited graduate medical education
- Passed each component of the USMLE, COMLEX-USA, or equivalent in no more than three attempts for each component
- Hold a current specialty certification or time-unlimited certification by an ABMS or AOABOS board
In addition, physicians must:
- Not have any history of disciplinary actions toward their medical license
- Not have any criminal history
- Not have any history of controlled substance actions toward their medical license
- Not currently be under investigation
Each physician is responsible for making a self-determination of eligibility prior to applying to participate in the Compact, and they must confirm that they understand the Compact rules.
Licenses
Licensing Services
In 2020, MLS started a ‘for-fee licensing and credentialing service.’ This is a service that any doctor can use for assistance with licensing and or credentialing. As a moonlighter and a member of this program, you are entitled to a steep discount on this service.
Some things to keep in mind when you are getting a license:
- MLS will work with you to determine if you are eligible for a license through the Interstate Compact
- With a credentialing file on hand, there are a few more things you may have to provide for any type of licensing. Some examples:
- Your login to FCVS
- Birth certificate
- Passport or naturalization documents
- Any malpractice case
Through MLS, licenses take on average 3 months to acquire. Some states take less time, others more as you can see above. No matter which state, we will help you through the maze. Our unofficial motto is “Live your life, let us get the license.”
Privileges
We have already credentialed you for privileges at least once, if not several times. Ask us for your credentialing packet when you need it, and we’ll send it right over via email!