The world of medicine is continually evolving. For the past two decades, science and technology have brought many innovations that changed the game in healthcare to further improve patient care. Moreover, the environment of medicine is also rapidly changing with more physicians wanting to practice in multiples states, either to render their service to the other parts of the country or to harness more their medical skills. With this in mind, the need for portability of medical licenses is very crucial.
The Federation of State Medical Boards [FSMB], a non-profit organization comprising of several state medical and osteopathic regulatory boards, has long been a proponent for improved portability of medical licenses. One of their major initiatives is the creation of the Uniform Application to help physicians in obtaining their medical licensure.
What is the Uniform Application?
The Uniform Application [UA) is a standard licensure form that serves as the core of application for medical licensure without replacing unique state-level requirements. It was developed by FSMB to facilitate completion of initial online licensure application. Several state medical boards across the country utilize UA.
US and foreign-trained physicians can use UA to save their licensure application for later use in another state. The core of this web-based application consists of common questions of a particular state’s licensure application, identification data, medical education, licensure history and incidents of malpractice claims and work experience if there are any.
UA vs. FCVS
Take note that the Federation of State Medical Board’s Credentials Verification Service [FCVS) is different from the Uniform Application. Both major initiatives from FSMB are aimed to help physicians make their application for licensure easier and faster, but they are separate entities.
Physicians use FCVS to keep a repository of all their verified credentials. It helps simplify the process of credential verification when they decide to obtain licensure from another state board. Your initial and subsequent application for FCVS is used for verification of your credentials only, but not for licensure.
The UA, on the other hand, is the licensure application used by many state boards. The UA holds physician data, including credentials, to avoid the process of re-entering information for licensures in multiple states.
How much does the UA costs? How to Use it?
The web-based application has a onetime fee of $60 for a medical license application. You may use UA several times for subsequent applications without any additional charge.
To utilize the UA for your licensure application, click “Uniform Application [UA)”. Sign up and continue as directed. After completing the core UA online
