Medicine, like many other professions, is regulated at two different levels:

• Licensure is a process that takes place at the state level in accordance with specific state laws
• Certification is established through national organizations with consistent national requirements for minimal professional practice standards

Licensure: All states require that applicants for MD licensure be graduates of an approved medical school and complete the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Steps 1 - 3. Steps 1 and 2 are completed while in medical school and step 3 is completed after some medical training (usually between 12 - 18 months, depending on the state). People who earned their medical degrees in other countries also must satisfy these requirements before practicing medicine in the United States.

With the introduction of telemedicine, there has been concern as to how to handle state licensure issues when medicine is being shared between states through telecommunications. Laws and guidelines are being addressed.

Certification: MDs who wish to specialize must complete an additional 3 - 9 years of postgraduate work in their specialty area, then pass board certification examinations. Doctors who claim to practice in one specialty should be board-certified in that specific area of practice.

See also: Types of health care providers

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Types of health care providers

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Review Date: 02/03/2011
Reviewed By: Michael E. Makover, MD, professor and attending in Rheumatology at the New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)