Physicians who step away from the medical practice for an extended period of time must take careful additional steps if returning to the field, according to a Cleveland Jewish News report.
The first step to returning is reactivating one's medical license. If less than two years have passed since the license expired, a physician can complete the required continuing medical education work and renewal application and pay a late renewal fee to get his license reinstated to active status, the report says. If more than two years have passed since the license's expiration date, the physician must apply for restoration of his license and pay a restoration fee. Depending on the state, an oral or written exam may also be required.
For Bob Elson, MD, a family practitioner who returned to medical practice after an 18-year career in informatics, the greatest challenge lies in the business model of reentry. "For a physician in mid- or late-career to take the time out to do a full-year retraining program at basically an intern's salary is very difficult financially, so the physician has to be willing to put some skin in the game and recognize they have to largely fund their retooling," he said. "But I don't know whether there's enough demand out there to put together a formal, structured residency or fellowship program specially targeted at physicians re-entering practice." The answer, he said, may lie in restructuring existing training programs.
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The first step to returning is reactivating one's medical license. If less than two years have passed since the license expired, a physician can complete the required continuing medical education work and renewal application and pay a late renewal fee to get his license reinstated to active status, the report says. If more than two years have passed since the license's expiration date, the physician must apply for restoration of his license and pay a restoration fee. Depending on the state, an oral or written exam may also be required.
For Bob Elson, MD, a family practitioner who returned to medical practice after an 18-year career in informatics, the greatest challenge lies in the business model of reentry. "For a physician in mid- or late-career to take the time out to do a full-year retraining program at basically an intern's salary is very difficult financially, so the physician has to be willing to put some skin in the game and recognize they have to largely fund their retooling," he said. "But I don't know whether there's enough demand out there to put together a formal, structured residency or fellowship program specially targeted at physicians re-entering practice." The answer, he said, may lie in restructuring existing training programs.
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