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MEDICAL LICENSURE IN MASSACHUSETTS

BWH
Physician Services - (617) 732-9437

MGH
Registrar's Office - (617) 726-2119

The hospitals are required to restrict the practice of medicine to physicians who are properly licensed in Massachusetts. Medical licenses issued in other states do not authorize you to practice medicine in Massachusetts.

There are two types of medical licenses in Massachusetts:

Limited License
Residents and clinical fellows are allowed to practice medicine on a limited license. Limited licenses restrict the site of practice to the MGH or BWH and approved affiliates for the particular residency/fellowship program. Applications for a limited license must be completed by the trainee in accordance with instructions of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, and certified by the hospital.

Full License
In order to be eligible for a full Massachusetts medical license, U.S. medical school graduates must have completed one year of clinical training and have passed either FLEX, or USMLE or the National Boards. Foreign medical graduates must have completed two years of clinical training in an ACGME approved training program and passed either FLEX or USMLE.

Note: Full Massachusetts medical licenses expire on the physician's birthday. It is the physician's responsibility to ensure that s/he has received a renewal notice from the Board of Registration prior to the expiration date and to return the renewal form in a timely manner. Applications for full medical license must be obtained directly from the Board of Registration in Medicine, 10 West Street, Boston, MA 02111, 617-727-3086 or via their website at: http://www.massmedboard.org/