Committee advances SF509 to create supervised-practice licensing pathway for internationally trained physicians

The Minnesota Senate Committee on State and Local Government on March 4 recommended Senate File 509 as amended to pass and re-refer to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill would change licensing for physicians who trained and practiced outside the United States by replacing an automatic requirement to repeat residency with a supervised-practice pathway and other documentation requirements.

Senator Mann, the bill sponsor, told the committee SF509 "is the bill to change how we license internationally practicing physicians," and described a pathway that would allow experienced foreign-trained doctors to obtain a Minnesota license without repeating a full residency if they meet specified requirements.

Under the bill as explained in committee, an internationally trained physician would be eligible for the pathway if they graduated from medical school, practiced medicine for at least five of the previous 12 years, have passed all three U.S. medical licensing Step exams, and complete two years of supervised practice in a rural or underserved area under the supervision of a licensed…