How to get a new state license as a physician

Laura Bruse, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon who has completed 50+ locum tenens assignments. In this article, she shares her insights on getting licensed and credentialed to practice in a new state.

So you want to practice in a new state. Whether you’re interested in a short-term locum tenens assignment or looking to relocate for a staff position, it will require more than updating your CV and packing your suitcase. This guide will help you understand what you need to obtain a medical license in a new state and get credentialed with a new hospital system.

Licensing for federal health programs as a physician

If you want to work for the federal government for either Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Indian Health Service (IHS), you probably won’t have to get a new license to practice in a new state. Any state license will allow you to work at a VA hospital in any state.

For example, if you want to work in a VA hospital in Alaska and you live in Florida, your Florida license will work. Just make sure it does not expire before starting the first assignment. Check the expiration date on your license and renew it well before the assignment begins, if needed.

Like the VA, an Indian Health Service hospital is a federal government facility, so any state license will allow you to work there. A complete list of IHS locations can be found on the IHS website.

Work locum tenens for the IHS: Find out what it's like

Getting a new state physician license

If you are interested in practicing in a new state outside the federal health system, you will most likely need to get licensed there. The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) has a comprehensive list of contacts for the medical boards in all 50 states.

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact may help expedite the process, depending on where you hold your primary license (State of Principal License) and which state you want to practice in.

Are you eligible? Interstate Medical Licensure Compact states list and guide

Establishing a repository of verified core credentials with the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) is a good way to streamline the process of obtaining other state licenses. This allows you to maintain all your professional educational certificates in one easily accessible location.

Credentials stored within the FCVS may be used for multiple state board applications. Many state boards use this centralized repository to obtain the information they need for licensing. There is a fee for using the FCVS.

To obtain a medical license, each state has specific requirements related to your performance on the USMLE and other tests.

It is important to keep all currently obtained licenses active. Be sure to give yourself sufficient time to renew each license unless you want them to expire. Renewing a state license may take as little as two weeks (e.g., a temporary Nebraska license), up to three to six months, or even more (e.g., California, Florida, Nevada, Texas).

Work for yourself: A physician’s guide to working as an independent contractor

Reporting from the National Practitioner Data Bank

It is also important to understand what information may be obtained about you by a healthcare organization or the state where you hope to be licensed. Most organizations use the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) as a key resource for licensing and credentialing.

The NPDB collects information on individual healthcare practitioners and organizations. An NPDB query will provide results representing your professional record, including any reportable adverse actions. When applying for licensure in another state, you may be required to do a self-query and submit the results as part of your application.

The type of information gathered by the NPDB may include:

• Medical malpractice payment reports

• Any state licensure actions

• Exclusion or debarment actions

• Government administrative actions

• Clinical privilege actions

• Health plan actions

• Professional society actions

• Judgement or conviction reports

• Peer review organization actions

Learn how it’s done: How 3 physicians expanded their practice to multiple states

Additional items needed for physician credentialing

Other items needed for full credentialing with the locum company or a hospital system include the following:

• Valid driver’s license

• Passport

• Certificates: Keep copies of all your college certificates, other degrees or fellowship certificates, and board certifications. Copies of these will be required as part of any application process. Generally, emailing a PDF scan of your certificates will suffice.

• CMEs: Credentialing and state licensure require medical education maintenance as evidenced by CME certificates or recorded CME participation.

• Other education: Keep a record of any specialty courses or other educational programs you have participated in.

Opportunities to practice medicine in new parts of the country as a locum tenens physician can be exciting! Stay organized, and with the help of your locum tenens company, getting licensed and credentialed for your new job can be easy and efficient.

CompHealth has locum tenens and other physician job opportunities in all 50 states. Give us a call at 800.453.3030 to learn more or view physician job openings.