I believe you need to complete Step II CK/CS to receive the Letter because they are required for US grads before they start residency in CA, so I would imagine that IMG"s will need them too before they start residency. Besides, you need them for ECFMG cert and besides the Letter, you will also need ECFMG cert before you start.

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM

I figured I ask here before I call the CA board. I have a NY lic. I did no rotations or residency in CA. I also had to use the FCVS which has a file for me now. Is it difficult to get a Cali licence now? Is FCVS helpful? Maybe someone knows.

Thx

__________________
medic
Pediatric Pulmonology

Hi Medic,
First of all, FCVS means nothing in California. California does not require, nor does it accept, anything from FCVS. Don't bother forwarding anything from FCVS to California. They will simply toss it in the trash can (as I was told when I applied for CA licensure several years ago).

California has no "licensure by endorsement" or "licensure by reciprocity" with anyone. So, your NY license will not help in anyway.

BTW, you need to have done a 4-week family practice elective during medical school to qualify for CA licensure -- it's a requirement for any med school graduate, US or foreign. You may be able to fulfill this requirement in residency if you've rotated through FP service -- ask the board directly for details.

I think the most time consuming part for you, if you don't already have them, is the L-6 forms. You will need an L-6 form from every single rotation you've done in medical school -- so you are looking at 10-15 L-6 forms from various places you've rotated through. Those forms also require hospital seal or notary. You will need specific rotation dates and hospital addresses and hospital affiliation information on each form. You can print the form off the CA board website -- www.medbd.ca.gov. Start sending them to hospitals/departments you rotated through during medical school and have them send it back to you. My advice is for you to gather them and send them to the board as an entire package rather than having them sent directly to the board -- less complications in "lost mail" this way. I think this is the most time consuming part for those who have graduated for some time and practice in other states. The clinical rotation forms you filled out for FCVS only has months and years, not specific dates... so that may not help you with filling out L-6's. I think Bay Shore does keep a detailed record of your rotation dates... ask them for a list.

Once all your paperwork is in order, including L-6 and FBI fingerprint returns, it take s about 60 to 90 days for the board to issue the license.

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM

Thanks P,

I am a fellow now, and I have a bit more than a year left. I do have the dates from SGU for all rotations, but getting those forms signed from each place will be a pain. I will check with the school if they can help and collect all of them at BayShore.

I spoke to them today at Cali and they said they probably will accept FCVS for the board scores and ECFMG transcript. Not too helpful...

My issue will be with the FP 4-week crap. Unless Bay Shore can transform one of my Primary Care rotations (peds ER or something) into a FP rotation, then I have no clue what I can do... I am in Pediatric Pulmonology, so doing a FP rotation will not happen. Unless again I can cook something somehow...Any ideas are appreciated.

Also, I am a convicted terrorist. Will I have problems with the fingerpint forms?

Thanks for your help.

__________________
medic
Pediatric Pulmonology

Hey Medic,

Yeah, accepting FCVS for board scores and ECFMG cert does not help any. It's cheaper and faster to request them directly from FSMB and ECFMG. CMB did not accept FCVS for ANYTHING when I applied.

As for L-6 forms... I probably wouldn't get Bay Shore involved in collecting them for you. That's just one more "middle person" for things to go wrong. What you can do is print the form from the CMB website, make as many blank copies as you need, fill out the top portion yourself (your name, place of rotation, dates of rotation...) and mail them to each place you've rotated with a self-stamped return envolope for them to be sent back to you. Then just sit back and wait for them to come back one by one... kind of like collecting baseball cards 8) Look at the form... you will see that the top portion is perfectly OK for you to fill out. Bottom portion, where hospital signitures/seals need to be are the only ones hospitals need to do themselves. Like I said, collect them yourselves, and once you have them all, send them in together along with your application to CMB. This way, they can't say "Oh, we didn't get one from XYZ hospital."

As for FP rotation. Having Bay Shore "helping" you probably will not work. Your transcript must match your L-6 forms. So, unless the hospital has an FP residency program and is willing to call one of your rotations "FP elective" on the L-6 to match your transcript, it does not help. And yes, CMB hand matches your L-6 to your transcript. One of my classmates did a "Radiology elective" at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Highland does NOT have a radiology residency program, so the HOSPITAL called Radiology elective "Medicine elective." Well, Bay Shore called it "Radiology elective" on the transcript, and CMB caught the discrepency during my classmates application process... it took some back and forth clarification to settle it.

Ways to fulfill FP requirement. I'm pretty sure this requirement can be fulfilled during residency training. But since you did a Pediatric residency, I am assuming you didn't spend any time on FP service during residency (or now fellowship.) I am also going to assume that you are boarded in Pediatrics now. I am not 100% sure about this, BUT, I was told by someone that board certification can be used to waive the FP requirement... again, I'm NOT 100% sure... in fact, I'm not optimistic about this information... BUT, this is something you can ask CMB directly and see. Also, the FP requirement is relatively new, and base on graduation year, not application year. So, check with CMB to see if you graduated before the requirement. The requirement dates back to mid-late 1990's.

Ha ha ha... Now, since PRK (People's Republic of Kalifornia) is an independent Occupied Territory in the Union, it has it's own set of rules... So as long as you did not harm any Kalifornians, we will forgive you. Just leave all your black rifles at the border. 8)
In all seriousness, CA also allows "Live Scan" for fingerprint requirement if are pressed for time. "Live Scan" sends your fingerprints electronically to the FBI Identification Bureau rather than snailmail. The turn around time is much faster (snailmail return takes 4 to 8 weeks, "Live Scan" return for law enforcement takes a few hours or less, a week or so for civilians). See instruction or call CMB for details on their Live Scan policy... You will probably need CMB law enforcement division's ORI (Originating Agency Identifier -- an unique agency identifier for any law enforcement agencies across the country tied to the NCIC computer teletype system.)... to get your electronic fingerprint return sent to the right place.

good luck,

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM

Quick update, just in case someone cares...I spoke to an analyst over at the CA board about the FP requirement. She said that I may be able to satisfy this requirement if I get my Peds Director where I did residency attach a letter saying that I did a 6-week rotation in outpatient care and describe the rotation. Obviously in Peds residency we do more than 6 weeks of Outpatient, so that won't be a problem. I will keep you all posted if it actually works, or it's just **.

Cheers

__________________
medic
Pediatric Pulmonology

For people who never took MCAT!!
Wehn you apply for residency in california, do you have to submit mcat scores or just USMLE 1 and 2?

I'm planning on premed program and gonna skip MCATs.
Do you think this will be a problem in the future?

thanks

Hi,
I took the liberty to read your correspondance with Aman regarding the California Letter.
I have been offered several residency postions in California, but my California Letter is still pending. At this point, I was wondering if you could refer me to someone who would be able to help me meet the deadlines for the submission of the rank list for 2006 Match.
Thanks in advance.

Just curious if the letter from your program satisfied the California FP requirement. I may have to take a similar approach.

California Medical Board approved my license. I used a letter from my residency program director to satisfy the family practice requirement.