House Bill 945

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO CREATE A LIMITED FACULTY MEDICAL LICENSE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) There is established a limited faculty medical license for physicians who are graduates of an international medical school and who are seeking employment as a faculty member with the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The board may grant a limited faculty medical license to a physician who is seeking employment with the University of Mississippi Medical Center if that physician does not meet qualifications for permanent licensure, but is held in high esteem for unique contributions the individual has made to medicine and will make by practicing in Mississippi. The board will consider granting and renewing a limited faculty medical license on a case-by-case basis.

(2) A physician must meet the following requirements to be eligible for a limited faculty medical license:

(a) Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

(b) Employed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center;

(c) Graduated from an international medical school that is listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) or its successor and is specifically approved by the board;

(d) Completed a limited faculty medical license application;

(e) Completed international residency and/or specialty in the field in which he or she is practicing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center;

(f) Practiced in a specialized field as a faculty member for a period of at least two (2) years;

(g) Be licensed in a jurisdiction outside the United States or Canada and present evidence that any licenses held in any jurisdiction are unrestricted;

(h) Demonstrate proficiency in English by providing a valid Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate or verification of passing score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered by the Educational Testing Service;

(i) Present a letter from the dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center that indicates that the applicant has been invited to serve on the academic staff of the medical school and in what capacity; and

(j) Present at least two (2) letters of recommendation from universities, educational institutions or research facilities that indicate the applicant's noteworthy professional attainment.

(3) The holder of a limited faculty medical license shall be restricted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center and its affiliated institutions.

(4) The limited faculty medical license shall be valid for one (1) year and shall be in the form as prescribed by the board. The limited faculty medical license shall be issued for practice at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and may not be endorsable to another state. The limited faculty medical license must be renewed annually, after such review as the board considers necessary. A limited faculty medical license shall automatically expire when the licensee discontinues service on the University of Mississippi medical staff for which the limited faculty medical license was granted.

(5) A physician holding a limited faculty medical license will be eligible at the end of a five (5) year period to substitute three (3) year Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved training required for a permanent medical license with the five (5) year faculty experience. The physician must also obtain a written recommendation and endorsement for medical licensure from the chairman of the department in which the physician has been practicing. All other permanent medical license requirements will remain the same.

(6) The board may establish reasonable license fees and promulgate rules and regulations as it considers necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. The holder of a limited faculty medical license shall be subject to all the laws of the State of Mississippi governing the practice of medicine.

SECTION 2. Section 1 of this act shall be codified as a new section in Chapter 25, Title 73, Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2003.