GWMed Internal Medicine Residency Program

Medical Licensing

USMLE Step 3

Current GME rules regarding promotion to PGY III year require that you pass the USMLE Step 3 by the end of your PGY-II year.
The Federation of State Medical Boards has a good set of instructions for applying for this exam.

Summer 2013 Certification Examination in Internal Medicine

Registration for the Summer 2013 Certification Examination in Internal Medicine opened on December 1, 2012. The application fee is $1,365. There is a non-refundable penalty fee of $400.00 for applications received from February 2, 2013 through March 1, 2013. No applications will be accepted after March 1, 2013.

NOTE: Candidates must complete the full required training, including leave time, by no later than August 31, 2013 to be eligible to apply for admission to the examination. In addition, training as a subspecialty fellow cannot be credited toward fulfilling the internal medicine training requirements.

The one-day examination will be administered on computer at a Pearson VUE Professional Center. All applications are completed online during the registration period.

To apply, trainees must:
1. Go to http://www.abim.org/ between December 1, 2012 and March 1, 2013
2. Select "Physician Login"
3. Follow the prompts to complete their application Visit http://www.abim.org/ for additional information regarding the computer-based examination.

Questions? Please call the Pearson VUE Contact Center at 800-441-2246 extension 8598.

Medical Licensure

In order to moonlight, most programs require that you have a full state (or district) medical license for liability purposes for the state (or district) that the facility is located in. Fellowship programs typically require a full medical license prior to the contracted start date. The basic prerequisites for applying for medical licensure are that you are a resident or physician in good standing and that you have passed USMLE Step 3 - however if you're applying for USMLE Step 3, you can concurrently apply for the medical license and notify the state medical board when you've received your passing score.
There's typically a number of forms you have to fill out and there's at least a three week waiting period. Given that each state or district in the area has their own set of rules and requirements, you can visit their web sites to find out what you need where ever you're applying.
•   District of Columbia
•   Virginia
•   Maryland

A few helpful hints for DC Licensing:
1) Identify 3 people that can write you a character reference form and get those out. This can be filled out by anyone with a current license that is in some sort of supervisory position.
2) Contact your medical school to have your transcript sent. If you're applying to VA and/or MD as well, get the appropriate contact information for their State Medical Boards and have the results sent to them at the same time.
3) When you contact USMLE for your transcripts, send them to VA, DC, MD at once if you're planning to apply to all of them. Each application costs approximately $65 (see website for exact price)so if you decide to apply to VA after you've already done DC, you may have to pay again.
4) Get all of your paperwork together and hand-deliver it to the DC DOH at once. Many residents in the past have had their papers misplaced and had to have the packets reassembled.
5) The Board processes applications only once a month so get a head start!