§3271. Qualifications for medical licensure
Except where otherwise specified by this chapter, all applicants for licensure as a physician or surgeon in the State must satisfy the following requirements. [PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §208 (AMD).]
1. Medical education. Each applicant must:
A. Graduate from a medical school designated as accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education; [PL 1983, c. 741, §1 (NEW).]
B. Graduate from an unaccredited medical school, be evaluated by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and receive a permanent certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Graduates; or [PL 1989, c. 5, §1 (AMD).]
C. Graduate from an unaccredited medical school and achieve a passing score on the Visa Qualifying Examination or another comprehensive examination determined by the board to be substantially equivalent to the Visa Qualifying Examination. [PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §208 (AMD).]
[PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §208 (AMD).]
2. Postgraduate training. Each applicant who has graduated from an accredited medical school on or after January 1, 1970 but before July 1, 2004 must have satisfactorily completed at least 24 months in a graduate educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the Canadian Medical Association or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Notwithstanding other requirements of postgraduate training, an applicant is eligible for licensure when the candidate has satisfactorily graduated from a combined postgraduate training program in which each of the contributing programs is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education and the applicant is eligible for accreditation by the American Board of Medical Specialties in both specialties. Each applicant who has graduated from an accredited medical school prior to January 1, 1970 must have satisfactorily completed at least 12 months in a graduate educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the Canadian Medical Association or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Each applicant who has graduated from an accredited medical school on or after July 1, 2004 or an unaccredited medical school must have satisfactorily completed at least 36 months in a graduate educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the Canadian Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Royal Colleges of England, Ireland or Scotland. An applicant who has completed 24 months of postgraduate training and has received an unrestricted endorsement from the director of an accredited graduate education program in the State is considered to have satisfied the postgraduate training requirements of this subsection if the applicant continues in that program and completes 36 months of postgraduate training. Notwithstanding this subsection, an applicant who is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties is deemed to meet the postgraduate training requirements of this subsection. Notwithstanding this subsection, in the case of subspecialty or clinical fellowship programs, the board may accept in fulfillment of the requirements of this subsection postgraduate training at a hospital in which the subspecialty clinical program, such as a training program accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization, is not accredited but the parent specialty program is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, including training that occurs following graduation from a dental school accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization, but before graduation from a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or its successor organization.
The board may not require an applicant for initial licensure or license renewal as a physician under this chapter to obtain certification from a specialty medical board or to obtain a maintenance of certification as a condition of licensure. For the purposes of this subsection, "maintenance of certification" means a program that requires a physician to engage in periodic examination, self-assessment, peer evaluation or other activities to maintain certification from a specialty medical board.
[PL 2021, c. 229, §1 (AMD).]
3. Examination. Each applicant must achieve a passing score on each component of the uniform examination of the Federation of State Medical Boards or other examinations designated by the board as the qualifying examination or examinations for licensure. Each applicant must additionally achieve a passing score on a State of Maine examination administered by the board.
[PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §208 (AMD).]
4. Fees. Each applicant shall pay a fee up to $600 plus the cost of the qualifying examination or examinations.
[PL 1999, c. 685, §7 (AMD).]
5. Board action. An applicant may not be licensed unless the board finds that the applicant is qualified and no cause exists, as set forth in section 3282‑A, that may be considered grounds for disciplinary action against a licensed physician or surgeon.
[PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §208 (AMD).]
6. Waiver for exceptional circumstances. The board may waive the requirements of subsection 2 for a physician who does not meet the postgraduate training requirements but who meets the requirements of this subsection.
A. To be considered for a waiver under this subsection, the physician must:
(1) Be a graduate of a foreign medical school, not including a medical school in Canada or Great Britain;
(2) Be licensed in another state; and
(3) Have at least 3 years of clinical experience in the area of expertise. [PL 2005, c. 363, §1 (NEW).]
B. If the physician meets the requirements of paragraph A, the board shall use the following qualifications of the physician to determine whether to grant a waiver:
(1) Completion of a 3-year clinical fellowship in the United States in the area of expertise. The burden of proof as to the quality and content of the fellowship is placed on the applicant;
(2) Appointment to a clinical academic position at a licensed medical school in the United States;
(3) Publication in peer-reviewed clinical medical journals recognized by the board;
(4) The number of years in clinical practice; and
(5) Other criteria demonstrating expertise, such as awards or other recognition. [PL 2005, c. 363, §1 (NEW).]
C. The costs associated with the board's determination of licensing eligibility in regard to paragraph B must be paid by the applicant upon completion of the determination under paragraph A. The application cost must reflect and not exceed the actual cost of the final determination. [PL 2005, c. 363, §1 (NEW).]
[PL 2005, c. 363, §1 (NEW).]
7. Special license categories. The board may issue a license limited to the practice of administrative medicine, or any other special license, as defined by routine technical rule of the board adopted pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.
[PL 2013, c. 355, §7 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1971, c. 591, §1 (NEW). PL 1971, c. 622, §117C (AMD). PL 1975, c. 404, §3 (AMD). PL 1977, c. 388, §3 (AMD). PL 1979, c. 345, §2 (AMD). PL 1981, c. 240 (AMD). PL 1981, c. 616, §1 (AMD). PL 1983, c. 378, §47 (AMD). PL 1983, c. 741, §1 (RPR). PL 1985, c. 542 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 5, §§1-3 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 425, §14 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 600, §A208 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 659, §B16 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 462, §A60 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 685, §7 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 601, §4 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 162, §2 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 363, §1 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 380, §2 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 355, §§6, 7 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 189, §2 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 229, §1 (AMD).