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How long does it take to get a new locum tenens or permanent license?

Posted by VISTA Staffing on Jan 8, 2013 10:33:00 AM

Tricky question. It’s tough to pin down processing time for a new state medical license because, although the requirements are the same for each applicant, a physician’s unique history and situation impact processing time.

For example, an American medical graduate with no malpractice claims or disciplinary issues, who has practiced in one location for the 10 years since completing training, will take much less time than an American medical graduate with the same length of time in practice, but who worked in five locations and had a significant malpractice settlement.

In VISTA’s experience the wait for a locums license has varied from three weeks in New Hampshire to two months in North Dakota. Temporary licenses, requested in conjunction with an application for a permanent license, can be issued in a month in Hawaii. It may take up to three months to get the same license in South Carolina. Full, permanent licensure can be processed in two months in Hawaii, but may take as long as one year in Texas.

There are also a host of variables that are essentially out of our hands—and yours. VISTA’s licensing specialists are very knowledgeable about most of these processes and calculate an expected delay into the overall time frame when discussing licenses with you. California, for example, has a 45-day waiting period once an application is at the board before any action is taken on an application. North Carolina has specific deadlines for application completion so an application can be reviewed at a scheduled board meeting. The deadline is usually six to eight weeks in advance of the meeting.

All medical boards experience heavy application volume from March through August because physicians are completing their post-graduate training programs and preparing for practice. We plan for an additional one-to- two week delay during this time.

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Topics: Licensing & Credentialing

 

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About VISTA Staffing Solutions

VISTA Staffing Solutions has over thirty years of experience providing award-winning customer service to clients and providers alike. Headquartered in Salt Lake City with additional offices in Atlanta and Houston, and employs approximately 1,000 people between corporate staff and field clinicians and contracts with over 2,500 physicians across 60+ specialties and subspecialties. VISTA helps U.S. hospitals, medical practices, and government agencies optimize their physician staffing, ensure quality and continuity of care for patients, and maintain financial stability. As a leading provider of U.S. Locum Tenens and Permanent Physician Search Services, VISTA also operates VISTA Select, a first-of-its-kind technology and services solution utilizing advanced data and analytics to provide healthcare organizations with customizable workforce optimization solutions.