I'm working on getting my medical license before going out to GMO-land. I keep hearing that Nebraska and Indiana are popular states for military docs to get a license. Does anybody who recently went through this process have tips and/or pointers?
...and sooner license is approved the sooner you can sign that 15k bonus.
I also chose Virginia. Can you advise where I can find out about the CME reqs.? Are they really less stringent than other states? That would be great news!It can actually be signed/submitted once the license is applied for. Had to explain this in very slow, basic language to my credentialing personnel who refused to believe the words written on the form to sign me off. Wouldn't want to tack on an extra 3+ months of time to the backside of your last year in just because you were waiting for the license to be issued. I went with Virginia for my license because I'd heard it was on the cheaper side, was one of the fastest (which it ended up being, but didn't matter because of, again, inept credentialing personnel), and has easy-to-meet CME reqs.
I second your enthusiasm for FCVS. I registered with them 5 years ago, and even though it was a process, once it's completed, the service is terrific! So much paperwork was eliminated when applying for my Virginia license. It was a breeze thanks to FCVS. And no more worries or hassles when registering for licenses in other states in the future. I highly recommend utilizing FCVS. I think some states even require that you utilize FCVS.I can tell you initially fcvs was a pain in the butt roughly 6 years ago. However when I recentky applied for a florida license. All I had to send in was my npdb forms, fingerprints. Fcvs took care of the rest and I received my license 27 days after application. My collegues have yet to recieve their florida license.
The first time I used them was three years ago. I've had colleagues that used them two years ago and last year who had the exact same issue that I did. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to hear that it works sometimes. But I can say that in the N of 4 close friends that I have (and myself) who have used FCVS, we have all been screwed out of time and money. And frankly, after 5 state licenses I can say that once you have your documentation together it takes about two days to do everything that FCVS does for you.I can tell you initially fcvs was a pain in the butt roughly 6 years ago. However when I recentky applied for a florida license. All I had to send in was my npdb forms, fingerprints. Fcvs took care of the rest and I received my license 27 days after application. My collegues have yet to recieve their florida license.
Do Nebraska. Cheapest, easiest rule for CME requirements. If you are a current intern and will be exiting to GMO land for july 1 then you are really hitting this extremely early. I did mine I think around March or so. Fingerprints are the really only slow annoying thing to do. Just go to local police station where they can do the digital finger prints. Then basically wait till residency director gives you a letter saying you finished intern year. Submit the documents and sooner license is approved the sooner you can sign that 15k bonus.
Honestly, I've had my VA license since 2006 and I have never been asked to furnish any CME certificates. While in training one does not have to worry about it because ground rounds and morning reports counts as CME. However as staff, as part of being and remaining credentialed one has to have CME. I have my CME saved to my cloud so if I am ever asked to provide proof and can readily find and email.I also chose Virginia. Can you advise where I can find out about the CME reqs.? Are they really less stringent than other states? That would be great news!
From PCSing and moonlighting, I've been licensed in Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, Arizona, and Texas. Indiana was very easy and inexpensive as was Kansas, although Kansas requires an insane number of annual CMEs. (Which is definitely another thing to take into account.) Texas is a huge pain in the ass, and it is ridiculously expensive - like extortiony expensive. It's over a grand to apply (not including all of your random out-of-pocket expenses like fingerprints, background checks, a JP exam, lots of fed ex packages, what-have-you), and then when you get the license you pay another $900 to register it....because registration isn't included in the initial $1,000 fee...because apparently it costs $900 for the guy who already has my packet to open a web-based app and click a box...it's insane, and in my opinion it's blatant racketeering.