License: Physician - Medical Doctor

MS State Board of Medical Licensure external site

1867 Crane Ridge Dr.

Suite 200-B

Jackson, MS 39216

(601) 987-3079

General Information and definitions of terms: The practice of medicine shall mean to suggest, recommend, prescribe, or direct for the use of any person, any drug, medicine, appliance, or other agency, whether material or not material, for the cure, relief, or palliation of any ailment or disease of the mind or body, or for the cure or relief of any wound or fracture or other bodily injury or deformity, or the practice of obstetrics or midwifery, after having received, or with the intent of receiving therefor, either directly or indirectly, any bonus, gift, profit or compensation; provided, that nothing in this section shall apply to females engaged solely in the practice of midwifery. For the purpose of these rules, the following terms have the meanings indicated: A. “Board” means the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. B. “Physician” means any person with a valid doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy or doctor of podiatry degree. C. “LCME” means the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the organization recognized by the American Medical Association for accrediting American medical schools. D. “ACGME” means Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. E. “RCPSC” means Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. F. “ABMS” means American Board of Medical Specialties. G. “AMA” means the American Medical Association. H. “FSMB” means the Federation of State Medical Boards. I. “FLEX” means the Federation Licensing Examination administered through the FSMB. J. “NBME” means National Board of Medical Examiners. K. “USMLE” means United States Medical Licensing Examination administered jointly through the FSMB and NBME. L. “SPEX” means the Special Purpose Examination administered through the FSMB. SPEX is a cognitive examination assisting licensing jurisdictions in their assessment of current competence requisite for general, undifferentiated medical practice by physicians who hold or have held a valid license in a U.S. jurisdiction. SPEX is made available through the Federation of State Medical Boards. M. “NBOME” means the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. N. “COMLEX” means the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination administered through the NBOME. O. “COMVEX” means the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Variable-Purpose Examination administered through the NBOME. COMVEX-USA is the evaluative instrument offered to osteopathic physicians who need to demonstrate current osteopathic medical knowledge. COMVEX-USA is made available through the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners P. “AOA” means American Osteopathic Association. Q. “LMCC” means Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada. R. “APMA” means American Podiatric Medical Association. S. “ABPM” means American Board of Podiatric Medicine. T. “ABPS” means American Board of Podiatric Surgery. U. “FPMB” means Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards. V. “CPME” means Council on Podiatric Medical Education. W. “NBPME” means National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners. X. “APMLE” means American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination administered through the NBPME. Y. “NPDB” means National Practitioner Data Bank. Z. “ECFMG” means the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. AA. “Foreign Medical School” means any medical college or college of osteopathic medicine located outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico. BB. “IMED” means International Medical Education Directory. CC. “Good Moral Character” as applied to an applicant, means that the applicant has not, prior to or during the pendency of an application to the Board, been guilty of any act, omission, condition or circumstance which would provide legal cause under Sections 73-25-29 or 73-25-83, Mississippi Code, for the suspension or revocation of medical licensure DD. Telemedicine” is the practice of medicine using electronic communication, information technology or other means between a physician in one location and a patient in another location with or without an intervening health care provider. This definition does not include the practice of medicine through postal or courier services. EE. Telemergency medicine” is a unique combination of telemedicine and the collaborative/consultative role of a physician board certified in emergency medicine, and an appropriate skilled health professional (nurse practitioner or physician assistant). General licensing requirements of all applicants: An individual shall meet the following requirements: A. Applicant must be twenty-one (21) years of age and of good moral character. B. Present a diploma from a reputable medical college or college of osteopathic medicine, subject to the following conditions: 1. If the degree is from a medical college or a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States or Puerto Rico, the medical college must be accredited at the time of graduation by the LCME, a Joint Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the AMA or the College of Osteopathic Medicine which must be accredited by the AOA. 2. If the degree is from a Canadian medical school, the school must be accredited at the time of graduation by the LCME and by the Committee on Accreditation for Canadian Medical Schools. 3. If the degree is from an international medical school, the medical school must be in the World Directory of Medical Schools or its equivalent. A graduate from an international medical school must either (i) possess a valid certificate from the ECFMG or (ii) document successful completion of a Fifth Pathway program and be currently board certified by a specialty board recognized by the ABMS. The Board 6 will accept for licensure only those individuals completing Fifth Pathway Programs by December 31, 2009. Credentialing via Fifth Pathway Programs will be considered on an individual basis. 4. Any diploma or other document required to be submitted to the Board by an applicant which is not in the English language must be accompanied by a certified translation thereof into English. C. If a graduate from a medical college or college of osteopathic medicine in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, applicant must present documentation of having completed at least one (1) year of postgraduate training in the United States accredited by the ACGME or by the AOA; or training in Canada accredited by the RCPSC. D. Applicants who graduated from an international medical school must present documentation of having completed either: 1. three (3) or more years of ACGME-approved postgraduate training in the United States or training in Canada approved by the RCPSC; or 2. one (1) year of ACGME-approved postgraduate training in the United States or training in Canada approved by the RCPSC, be currently board certified by a specialty board recognized by the ABMS and must have approval by the Board. E. An applicant who otherwise possesses all of the qualifications for licensure by credentials, but has not taken a medical proficiency examination or licensure examination within ten (10) years prior to filing his or her application, must pass the SPEX or COMVEX* , unless the applicant: 1. Submits satisfactory proof of current certification by an ABMS and participating in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) or AOA approved specialty board and participating in Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC); or 2. Submits proof that the applicant's sole purpose for seeking licensure is to serve as the Dean, Chairman of the Department or Faculty of an ACGME or AOA approved training program. In such case, a license shall remain in effect so long as licensee is a member of the faculty of the ACGME or AOA approved training program. F. Submit certified copy of either (i) a birth certificate or (ii) a valid passport. G. Complete an application for medical license and submit it to the Board in a manner prescribed by the Board with a recent passport type photograph. H. Submit fee prescribed by the Board. I. Submit fingerprints for state and national criminal history background checks. Specific Licensing Requirements: Every person who desires to obtain a license to practice medicine must apply therefor, in writing, to the State Board of Medical Licensure at least ten (10) days before the date of the examination and must be examined by the Board according to the methods deemed by it to be the most practical and expeditious to test the applicants' qualifications. If the applicant is found by the Board, upon examination, to possess sufficient learning in those branches and to be of good moral character, the Board shall issue him a license to practice medicine; however, no applicant shall be granted a license unless the applicant holds a diploma from a reputable medical college that requires a four-year course of at least thirty-two (32) weeks for each session, or its equivalent. To qualify for a Mississippi medical license, an applicant must have successfully been cleared for licensure through an investigation that shall consist of a determination as to good moral character and verification that the prospective licensee is not guilty of or in violation of any statutory ground for denial of licensure as set forth in Sections 73-25-29 and 73-25-83. To assist the Board in conducting its licensure investigation, all applicants shall undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant’s fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the Board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (Department) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose. The State Board of Medical Licensure shall meet at the capitol at least once each year for the purpose of examining applicants for license to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine and shall continue in session until all applicants are examined. Renewal: Except as provided in Section 33-1-39, the license of every person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the state of Mississippi shall be renewed annually. On or before May 1 of each year, the State Board of Medical Licensure shall mail a notice of renewal of license to every physician or osteopath to whom a license was issued or renewed during the current licensing year. The notice shall provide instructions for obtaining and submitting applications for renewal. The State Board of 24 Medical Licensure is authorized to make applications for renewal available via electronic means. The applicant shall obtain and complete the application and submit it to the Board in the manner prescribed by the Board in the notice before June 30 with the renewal fee of an amount established by the Board, but not to exceed Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), a portion of which fee shall be used to support a program to aid impaired physicians and osteopaths. The payment of the annual license renewal fee shall be optional with all physicians over the age of seventy (70) years. Upon receipt of the application and fee, the Board shall verify the accuracy of the application and issue to applicant a certificate of renewal for the ensuing year, beginning July 1 and expiring June 30 of the succeeding calendar year. That renewal shall render the holder thereof a legal practitioner as stated on the renewal form. Volunteer Medical License: There is established a special volunteer medical license for physicians who are retired from active practice, or are currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or in the National Guard or a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, or are working as physicians for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and wish to donate their expertise for the medical care and treatment of indigent and needy persons or persons in medically underserved areas of the state. The special volunteer medical license shall be issued by the State Board of Medical Licensure to eligible physicians without the payment of any application fee, examination fee, license fee or renewal fee, shall be issued for a fiscal year or part thereof, and shall be renewable annually upon approval of the Board. (b) A physician must meet the following requirements to be eligible for a special volunteer medical license: (i) Completion of a special volunteer medical license application, including documentation of the physician's medical school or osteopathic school graduation and practice history; (ii) Documentation that the physician has been previously issued an unrestricted license to practice medicine in Mississippi or in another state of the United States and that he or she has never been the subject of any medical 28 disciplinary action in any jurisdiction; (iii)Acknowledgment and documentation that the physician's practice under the special volunteer medical license will be exclusively and totally devoted to providing medical care to needy and indigent persons in Mississippi or persons in medically underserved areas in Mississippi; and (iv)Acknowledgment and documentation that the physician will not receive any payment or compensation, either direct or indirect, or have the expectation of any payment or compensation, for any medical services rendered under the special volunteer medical license. Licensees from other states or Canada: The State Board of Medical Licensure may grant license to practice medicine without examination as to learning to graduates in medicine or osteopathic medicine who hold license to practice medicine from another state, provided the requirements in such state are equal to those required by the State Board of Medical Licensure. The State Board of Medical Licensure may affiliate with and recognize for the purpose of waiving examination diplomates of the National Board of Medical Examiners, or the National Board of Examiners for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons in granting license to practice medicine in Mississippi. In addition, the Board may grant a license to practice medicine without examination to licentiates of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) who are graduates of Canadian medical schools which are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, as sponsored by the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges, and by the Committee for Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools, as sponsored by the Canadian Medical Association and the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges. The issuance of a license by reciprocity to a military-trained applicant or military spouse shall be subject to the provisions of Section 73-50-1. Graduates of Foreign Medical Schools: The State Board of Medical Licensure is hereby authorized and empowered to grant limited institutional license for the practice of medicine in state institutions to graduates of foreign medical colleges approved by the National Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates or its successor, subject to the conditions as set out herein. Any graduate of a foreign medical college approved by the organizations specified in the foregoing paragraph who is employed or is being considered for employment to practice medicine in one or more Mississippi state-supported institution(s) located in the same county shall make application for license to the State Board of Medical Licensure. The application shall be made on a form prescribed by the Board of Medical Licensure as required by laws of the state of Mississippi. The application shall also state the institution or institutions in which the applicant has assurance of employment. The State Board of Medical Licensure is hereby authorized to establish minimum standards of qualifications including moral, experience and proficiency for such applicants. The application and the Board's recommendation shall be forwarded to the board of trustees and director of the institution(s) in which the applicant wishes to practice. Upon receipt of such approved application from the State Board of Medical Licensure, the board of trustees or the governing authority and director of the institution or health center shall submit the application for review to the local medical society, the member of the Board of Trustees of the State Medical Association of that district and the member of the State Board of Medical Licensure of the district in which the institution is located. A formal recommendation from each of these, along with that of the board of trustees and director of 30 the institution, shall become a part of the application, and shall then be returned to the State Board of Medical Licensure. If a majority of the recommendations are in favor of the applicant, the State Board of Medical Licensure may, in its discretion, issue a limited license to practice medicine. The holder of such a license shall be subject to all the laws of the state of Mississippi governing the practice of medicine. Such license shall be for one (1) year and shall be in such form as the State Board of Medical Licensure shall prescribe, and shall be issued for practice in a particular institution and shall not be endorsable to another state. The license must be renewed annually, after such review as the State Board of Medical Licensure considers necessary. A graduate of a foreign medical school so licensed may hold such limited institutional license no longer than five (5) years. However, any graduate of a foreign medical school so licensed and employed by any state institution on January 1, 1981, shall not be subject to the five-year limitation created hereby. In addition, the State Board of Medical Licensure, in its discretion, may waive the five-year limitation on limited institutional licenses for any graduate of a foreign medical school who holds such license. TELEMEDICINE; LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR PRACTICING MEDICINE ACROSS STATE LINES (1) For the purposes of this section, telemedicine, or the practice of medicine across state lines, shall be defined to include any one or both of the following: (a) Rendering of a medical opinion concerning diagnosis or treatment of a patient within this state by a physician located outside this state as a result of transmission of individual patient data by electronic or other means from within this state to such physician or his agent; or (b) The rendering of treatment to a patient within this state by a physician located outside this state as a result of transmission of individual patient data by electronic or other means from within this state to such physician or his agent. (2) Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall engage in the practice of medicine across state lines (telemedicine) in this state, hold himself out as qualified to do the same, or use any title, word or abbreviation to indicate to or induce others to believe that he is duly licensed to practice medicine across state lines in this state unless he has first obtained a license to do so from the State Board of Medical Licensure and has met all educational and licensure requirements as determined by the State Board of Medical Licensure. (3) The requirement of licensure as set forth in subsection (2) above shall not be required where the evaluation, treatment and/or the medical opinion to be rendered by a physician outside this state (a) is requested by a physician duly licensed to practice medicine in this state, and (b) the physician who has requested such evaluation, treatment and/or medical opinion has already established a doctor/patient relationship with the patient to be evaluated and/or treated. (4) The practice of medicine is deemed to occur in the location of the patient. Therefore only physicians holding a valid Mississippi license are allowed to practice telemedicine in Mississippi. The interpretation of clinical laboratory studies as well as pathology and histopathology studies performed by physicians without Mississippi licensure is not the practice of telemedicine provided a Mississippi licensed physician is responsible for accepting, rejecting, or modifying the interpretation. The Mississippi licensed physician must maintain exclusive control over any subsequent therapy or additional diagnostics. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §73-25-34 (1972, as amended). (5) Informed Consent: The physician using telemedicine should obtain the patient’s informed consent before providing care via telemedicine technology. In addition to information relative to treatment, the patient should be informed of the risk and benefits of being treated via a telemedicine network including how to receive follow-up care or assistance in the event of an adverse reaction to treatment or if there is a telemedicine equipment failure.