Florida Medical Physician License

Annually about 3,000 physicians apply for the Florida medical license. If you are one of them it is important for you to read this article, as we are going to introduce the whole licensure application process.

The first thing that you should know is that the most important problem of the Board of Medicine is to provide license only to qualified candidates and to protect all consumers.  Every single piece of information that you provide in your application is thoroughly checked by the Florida Medicine Board staff. The most common reason that the application gets rejected is that the applicants aren’t honest or provide false information in their application.

Florida Board of Medicine asks a lot of questions in the application. All of the questions should be answered properly and honestly.

Where can I get an application?

Here is a link where you can find the application and some general information

What types of licenses are in Florida?

There are a lot of medical license types in Florida, and each of them has its specific requirements and process. Here are some of them.

Temporary Certificate for Visiting Physicians

With this certificate all the international physicians can work in a special training program that is approved by the Board of the Cancer Center.

Medical Faculty Certificate

By getting this certificate all physicians can practice medicine during their education in the medical schools or any other program.

Temporary Certificate for Practice in Areas of Critical Need

This certificate has some limits, the physicians can work only in a special approved service.

Public Health and Public Psychiatry Certificates

With this one, the doctors can only practice while working with the Florida Department of Health.

Limited License

This license allows you to practice in some approved services. The majority of physicians with this license are volunteers who work with the Florida Department of Health.

Resident Physician and House Physician Registration

Physicians can work in Florida training programs or as house physicians, but they need to register in the Board. And all the programs that have non-licensed physicians need to report twice a year about all the employees.

How to fill the application form?

The Florida medical license application is a long one, but it is not complicated. Anyway if you have a question or problems with it. You need to address all your questions to the Board staff, by using e-mail. Try to write it more detailed and spelled correctly so the staff can understand and provide all the information that you need. If you know who is in charge of your application, write directly to that person, if not just email [email protected].

If you need more help than the Board can give. You can use the services of a license application adviser, For that just connect with The Florida Medical Association by this email [email protected].

If you work you can also ask for the help of your hospital’s personnel/risk management office.

How long will the application process take?

If your application is completed and there are no errors, the process will take from 45 up to 90 days.

Your application is completed when all required information is provided, it will take longer if your application is half done.

The most essential part is providing all necessary documents. If you want the application process to be faster, provide all documents to the Board ASAF. Be very organized here as this is the most common reason for application delay.

What to do if I have additional questions after sending the application?

After submission, the application goes directly to the Board of Medicine, where the staff will review your application. The Board of Medicine office has 7 reviewers. After they get your application they will connect with you and provide all the information to connect them. If you have questions just email them and they will answer all the questions properly.

Who makes the decision on my application?

After your application was submitted it’s time for a second review and after it, the Board will decide to approve or deny it.  During any of these steps your application can get a “red flag” it doesn’t mean denial, it only means that your application needs to be reviewed by the Program Administrator and they will decide if it must be sent to the Credentials Committee. This committee has a meeting every other month to review all the applications with “red flags”. They can demand more information, explanation, or meeting with the candidate.

How much will it cost to get a medical license in Florida?

Here are all the payments that you need to do before getting your Florida medical license.

 Fees for non-resident applicants:

• Application fee: $350.00 (non-refundable)
• Initial license fee: $350.00
• Unlicensed Activity fee: $5.00
• NICA fee: $250.00 or $5,000.00
• Dispensing Practitioner fee: $100.00

Military Veteran Fee Waiver: If they meet all the requirements there are no fees for veterans.

Fees for the resident applicant:

• Application fee: $350.00 (non-refundable)
• Initial license fee: $200.00
• Unlicensed Activity fee: $5.00

NICA fee: Exempt

Dispensing Practitioner fee: $100.00

Military Veteran Fee Waiver: If they meet all the requirements there are no fees for veterans.

Requirements for Licensure by Endorsement:

• Be graduated from any U.S. Medical School that is authorized by the U.S. Office of Education and take part in residency training for more than a year
• Be graduated from an international medical school (IMG) that is approved by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and take residency training for more than 2 years in one specific sphere
• Be an applicant who has met the fixed requirements of an international medical school, but doesn’t complete the internship or social service, pass the first and second part of the exam that is equal to NBME or ECFMG, has experience of supervised clinical training during a year, and have taken residency training more than 2 years in one specific sphere

Completed all the part of a United States national examination (NBME, FLEX, or USMLE):

• Already have a license from another administration and practice medicine for a minimum of two years
• Take clinical competency board-approved examination the year before to apply
• Complete a committee approved postgraduate training program the year before to apply

Requirements for Licensure by Examination:

• Be graduated from any U.S. Medical School that is authorized by the U.S. Office of Education and take part in residency training for more than a year
• Be graduated from an international medical school (IMG) that is approved by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and take residency training for more than 2 years in one specific sphere
• Be an applicant who has met the fixed requirements of an international medical school, but doesn’t complete the internship or social service, pass the first and second part of the exam that is equal to NBME or ECFMG, has experience of supervised clinical training during a year, and have taken residency training more than 2 years in one specific sphere

Completed all the part of a United States national examination (NBME, FLEX, or USMLE):

• Already have a medical license in U.S. or Canada, practice medicine for a minimum of 10 years, pass a state board or LMCC examination, and pass the SPEX examination
• Have a license with a state board exam before 1974, and is licensed for a minimum of three other administrations in the U.S. or Canada, and practice medicine for at least 20 years.