Florida Senate - 2020 CS for SB 218
By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senator Harrell
588-00987-20 2020218c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to licensure requirements for
3 osteopathic physicians; amending s. 459.0055, F.S.;
4 revising licensure requirements for persons seeking
5 licensure or certification as an osteopathic
6 physician; providing an effective date.
7
8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 459.0055, Florida
11 Statutes, is amended to read:
12 459.0055 General licensure requirements.—
13 (1) Except as otherwise provided herein, any person
14 desiring to be licensed or certified as an osteopathic physician
15 pursuant to this chapter shall:
16 (a) Complete an application form and submit the appropriate
17 fee to the department;
18 (b) Be at least 21 years of age;
19 (c) Be of good moral character;
20 (d) Have completed at least 3 years of preprofessional
21 postsecondary education;
22 (e) Have not previously committed any act that would
23 constitute a violation of this chapter, unless the board
24 determines that such act does not adversely affect the
25 applicant’s present ability and fitness to practice osteopathic
26 medicine;
27 (f) Not be under investigation in any jurisdiction for an
28 act that would constitute a violation of this chapter. If, upon
29 completion of such investigation, it is determined that the
30 applicant has committed an act that would constitute a violation
31 of this chapter, the applicant is ineligible for licensure
32 unless the board determines that such act does not adversely
33 affect the applicant’s present ability and fitness to practice
34 osteopathic medicine;
35 (g) Have not had an application for a license to practice
36 osteopathic medicine denied or a license to practice osteopathic
37 medicine revoked, suspended, or otherwise acted against by the
38 licensing authority of any jurisdiction unless the board
39 determines that the grounds on which such action was taken do
40 not adversely affect the applicant’s present ability and fitness
41 to practice osteopathic medicine. A licensing authority’s
42 acceptance of a physician’s relinquishment of license,
43 stipulation, consent order, or other settlement, offered in
44 response to or in anticipation of the filing of administrative
45 charges against the osteopathic physician, shall be considered
46 action against the osteopathic physician’s license;
47 (h) Not have received less than a satisfactory evaluation
48 from an internship, residency, or fellowship training program,
49 unless the board determines that such act does not adversely
50 affect the applicant’s present ability and fitness to practice
51 osteopathic medicine. Such evaluation shall be provided by the
52 director of medical education from the medical training
53 facility;
54 (i) Have met the criteria set forth in s. 459.0075, s.
55 459.0077, or s. 459.021, whichever is applicable;
56 (j) Submit to the department a set of fingerprints on a
57 form and under procedures specified by the department, along
58 with a payment in an amount equal to the costs incurred by the
59 Department of Health for the criminal background check of the
60 applicant;
61 (k) Demonstrate that he or she is a graduate of a medical
62 college recognized and approved by the American Osteopathic
63 Association;
64 (l) Demonstrate that she or he has successfully completed
65 an internship or a residency a resident internship of not less
66 than 12 months in a program accredited hospital approved for
67 this purpose by the Board of Trustees of the American
68 Osteopathic Association or the Accreditation Council for
69 Graduate Medical Education any other internship program approved
70 by the board upon a showing of good cause by the applicant. This
71 requirement may be waived for an applicant who matriculated in a
72 college of osteopathic medicine during or before 1948; and
73 (m) Demonstrate that she or he has obtained a passing
74 score, as established by rule of the board, on all parts of the
75 examination conducted by the National Board of Osteopathic
76 Medical Examiners or other examination approved by the board no
77 more than 5 years before making application in this state or, if
78 holding a valid active license in another state, that the
79 initial licensure in the other state occurred no more than 5
80 years after the applicant obtained a passing score on the
81 examination conducted by the National Board of Osteopathic
82 Medical Examiners or other substantially similar examination
83 approved by the board.
84 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.