BILL ANALYSIS
By: Branch
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently, an applicant for a Texas medical license must complete his or her three U.S. Medical Licensing Exams within seven years. In addition, the deadline for completing medical board examinations is two years after being awarded an MD or DO degree. This bill will consider the situation of dual degree, MD or DO and PHD, students who often need longer than 2 years following the awarding of their medical degrees to complete board exams because of their dual degree pursuits. Several Texas medical schools have lost qualified professors due to the limited amount of time available to complete board exams.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
(a) An applicant for a medical license in Texas has up to seven years to pass each part of the examination for a Texas medical license. This bill would continue that period subject to an exception in Subsection (c).
(b) Requires a joint degree (PhD and MD or OD) applicant to pass each part of the examination within two years of completing graduate medical training of either one year graduate medical training approved by the board in the U.S. or Canada or if graduated from a medical school outside the U.S. or Canada must have three years of graduate medical training approved by the board in the U.S. or Canada.
(c) An applicant for a medical license shall have up to 10 years to complete his or her board exams if the applicant is specialty board certified by a specialty board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists or who has received a faculty temporary license and after twelve months is recommended to the board by the chief administrative officer and president of the institution in which they have practiced.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September
1, 2005.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The substitute restricts the extension to only applicants who have either been specialty board certified by a specialty board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists or who has received a faculty temporary license and after twelve months is recommended to the board by the chief administrative officer and president of the institution in which they have practiced.