25 Nov Applying For Your NYS Medical License
One of the hallmarks of graduating from your training program will be applying for your state(s) medical license. This process is typically performed during the final year of your residency and will be required prior to starting new employment. Applying for a New York State (NYS) medical license is through the NYS education department office of professions. Requirements and/or pathway might vary depending on employment requisites or even where you completed training. In general, most applications and documents can be retrieved and submitted electronically.
NYSED OP main page: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/med/medlic.htm
The general requirements of applying for a “physician” or practice of medicine licensure in NYS must mean that you are 1) of good moral character, 2) at least 21 years old, and 3) meet the education, examination, and experience requirements, which will be discussed further. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit forms to the correct address(es) and parties and to follow up regarding any additional information or materials sent by third parties. The fees for licensure are $735 (as of July 2021) and due at the time of application along with possible registration fees. A separate link will have to be used to either continue an existing application or to upload any additional documents. See application licensing forms link below for FORM 1.
The education requirements (assuming the other two requisites are met) is broken down into pre-professional and professional education and is the first subsection of the final requisite. The pre-professional education is the satisfactory completion of an undergraduate college. The professional education component is the successful completion of a registered or accredited medical school/program along with your clinical clerkships.
If you are a graduate of a non-accredited medical program, completion of curriculum and proficiency examination, such as ECFMG, will need to be provided along with a certificate of approved clinical clerkships. FORM 2CC is specifically for the clinical clerkships and to accompany your other documents.
FORM 2 (see application licensing link below) has two sections. Section I is required to be filled out by the applicant in its entirety. One completed, it should be submitted to the registrar department, dean, or principal of the respected medical school for completion of Section II. The medical school is responsible for sending the completed form to NYSED OP.
In addition to FORM 2, the applicant has to provide additional certificates. These are the child abuse identification reporting and infection control and barrier precautions training. If they have been completed before, these usually will suffice however if proof of completion is unknown or unable to be located, they will have to be done. A list of certified providers is available on the main NYSED OP home page (link above). Once completed, this can also be sent electronically through the application page.
The Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) is an approved centralized credentials verification organization. Depending on the requirements of employment, you may need to fill this out if you are a domestic graduate. Otherwise, this usually pertains to those who plan to practice outside of NYS or in multiple states. If you are a non-domestic/international graduate and applying for NYS licensure, this is a requirement and the only way to obtain appropriate medical licensing. To ensure accuracy and organization, the NYSED OP includes two additional checklists for those specifically applying via the FCVS (link below). To access the FCVS website, you can visit https://www.fsmb.org/.
The experience requirement is the second subsection of the final requisite. This verification is with regards to your post-graduate training and appropriately named FORM 2PGT. Section I of the form is filled out by the applicant and sent to the hospital that completed or is to complete training. The director of medical education or department chair completes Section II who then forwards it to NYSED OP.
The examination requirement is the third and final subsection of the third requisite. This includes the “board” examinations taken during medical training. The examinations required are the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 of the USMLE or Part I, Part II, and Part III of the COMLEX. Combinations of these exams can also be accepted as long as they meet the criteria as listed on the NYSED OP website. If, and when, completed, verification of scores are sent directly to the office of professions. This is usually done directly through the board licensing website. For example, logging into www.nbome.org will allow you to see your scores and directly transmit them to the NYS licensing board for an additional $60 fee (July 2021). This can also be done for USMLE, FLEX, NBME, NBOME, and ECFMG certification.
To simplify and keep things organized, the NYSED OP provides a valuable checklist to ensure that all the proper paperwork is submitted for the desired type of application. Included are three checklists, of which you will only need one. The most common is the first page/checklist. FCVS applicants will use either the second or third checklist. This can be found on the website at the following link below: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/med/medchecklist.pdf
A list of all the various license application forms can also be found on the link below:
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/med/medforms.htm
There are numerous tips and pearls to applying for licensing. Be sure to have any and all documents saved in a PDF format, readily accessible from multiple sources (i.e. email, external hard drive, USB, personal computers). These will come handy when applying for new jobs, transferring, or applying for additional licenses. Ensure you have made copies of all forms submitted. Apply early if you will be applying through the FCVS pathway or if you believe your application may take longer than usual.
Follow up regularly with the NYSED OP for any updates or errors that need to be corrected. You may or may not always get an email stating what still must be done but to ensure prompt approval, the responsibility always falls on the applicant. Application process can vary from 4-8 weeks depending on various factors. Once approved for a license, you may see your information online before even receiving a physical copy. This can be done at http://www.op.nysed.gov/opsearches.htm. By searching for “physician” and typing your name you will be able to see your license number, date, status, expiration, etc. At some point you will also be applying for your DEA. A medical license number needs to be issued prior to applying. Once you are approved and assigned a number, DEA applications can be submitted.
Contacting the NYS education department office of professions can be done in a few ways.
Address:
New York State Education Dept
Office of the Professions
P.O. Box 22063
Albany, NY 12201
Email: opunit2@nysed.gov
Contact Us Link: https://eservices.nysed.gov/professions/contact-us/#/
Ahmer Salman, DO
Member, New York ACEP Emergency Medicine Resident Committee
Resident, St. Barnabas Hospital