RELATING TO FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on whether the bill changes other licensing requirements beyond substituting one year of hospital training with fellowship training.

Foreign Medical Graduates License Requirements

This bill allows foreign medical school graduates to substitute one year of hospital training with a fellowship program accredited by the ACGME when applying for a license to practice medicine and surgery in Hawaii.

What This Bill Does

• Allows foreign medical school graduates to use one year of accredited fellowship training instead of one year of hospital training when applying for a medical license.
• Requires the parent program or hospital offering the fellowship to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Who It Names or Affects

• Foreign medical school graduates applying for a license to practice medicine in Hawaii.
• Hospitals and fellowship programs that are accredited by the ACGME.

Terms To Know

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

An organization that sets standards and evaluates medical training programs to ensure they meet quality requirements.

Fellowship

A specialized period of training in a specific area of medicine after completing residency.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how many foreign medical graduates will be affected or what the impact on licensing requirements might be.
• It is unclear if this change will affect the number of applicants who can obtain licenses to practice in Hawaii.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES.
Medical and Surgery; License; Qualifications; Foreign Medical Graduates; Alternative Qualifications; Fellowship
Allows foreign medical school graduates applying for a license to practice medicine and surgery to substitute one year of required medical training or experience in a hospital with one year of fellowship training where the parent program or hospital is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Current Bill Text

HB1430

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1430

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to foreign medical graduates
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 453-4.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�453-4.5
�
Foreign medical graduates; alternative
qualifications.
�

Notwithstanding section 453-4(b)(2)(B), a graduate of a foreign medical
school who has [
passed
]
:

����
(1)
�
Passed
the Federation Licensing
Examination (FLEX) or the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE),
or a combination of these examinations as approved by the board, with scores
deemed satisfactory to the board[
, passed
]
;

����
(2)
�
Passed
the qualifying
examination of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates prior
to 1984[
,
]
;
and [
has at
]

����
(3)
�
At
least three years of medical
training or experience in a hospital approved by the Council on Medical
Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association for internship or
residency
; provided that one of the three years of medical training or
experience may be substituted by one year of fellowship training where the
parent program or hospital is accredited by the Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Education;

may be
licensed by the Hawaii medical board under section 453‑4(c)."

����
SECTION 2.
�

Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory material is underscored.

����
SECTION 3.
�

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Medical
and Surgery; License; Qualifications; Foreign Medical Graduates; Alternative
Qualifications; Fellowship

Description:

Allows
foreign medical school graduates applying for a license to practice medicine
and surgery to substitute one year of required medical training or experience
in a hospital with one year of fellowship training where the parent program or
hospital is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.