Florida Senate - 2020                                     SB 218
       
       
        
       By Senator Harrell
       
       
       
       
       
       25-00458-20                                            2020218__
    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 a resident internship or residency of not less than 12 months
   66  in a program accredited hospital approved for this purpose by
   67  the Board of Trustees of the American Osteopathic Association or
   68  the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education any
   69  other internship program approved by the board upon a showing of
   70  good cause by the applicant. This requirement may be waived for
   71  an applicant who matriculated in a college of osteopathic
   72  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.