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25LSO-0647
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0647
ENGROSSED
3.0
SENATE FILE NO. SF0155
International physician licensing.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Driskill, Anderson, Brennan, Dockstader and Schuler
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to physicians and surgeons; authorizing the state board of medicine to provide provisional medical licenses to international physicians as specified; providing definitions; making conforming amendments; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
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W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803 are created to read:
ARTICLE 8
EXPANDING PHYSICIAN ACCESS ACT
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801.
Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Expanding Physician Access Act."
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802.
Definitions.
(a)
As used in this article:
(i)
"Board" means the Wyoming state board of medicine;
(ii)
"Health care provider" means a person that furnishes, bills or is paid for health care procedures or service delivery in the normal course of business and includes, without limitation, health systems, hospitals, hospital
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based facilities, freestanding emergency facilities and urgent care clinics;
(iii)
"International physician" means any person who:
(A)
Has been granted a medical doctorate or substantially similar degree by a domestic or international medical program of good standing;
(B)
Has been licensed in good standing with a medical licensing or regulatory institution of the person's licensing country at all times in the last five (5) years and does not have any pending discipline before the licensing body;
(C)
Has completed a residency or substantially similar post
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graduate medical training program or has practiced as a medical professional performing the duties of a physician in the person's licensing country for not less than seven (7) years after the completion of a medical doctorate;
(D)
Has practiced medicine as a fully licensed or otherwise authorized physician in the person's licensing country for not less than five (5) years after the completion of residency training or a residency equivalent pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph; and
(E)
Possesses basic fluency in the English language.
(iv)
"Physician" means any person who has obtained a medical doctorate or substantially similar degree and is licensed inside or outside the United States.
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803.
State license for health care provider sponsored international physicians.
(a)
The board shall grant a provisional license to practice medicine in this state to any international physician with an offer for employment as a physician at any health care provider that operates in this state. The board shall require an international physician to complete an application form provided or approved by the board, pass a criminal background investigation, if practicably available, and pay all fees required by the board to obtain a provisional license. The board:
(i)
Shall not grant a provisional license to practice medicine in this state to any international physician unless they are eligible to obtain federal immigration status that allows them to practice as a physician in the United States;
(ii)
May suspend a provisional license granted under this subsection if the international physician is not employed by a health care provider that operates in this state during the provisional license period. If the international physician loses employment with the health care provider, the license shall be suspended until the international physician obtains employment with another Wyoming health care provider. If the international physician cannot obtain required employment within six (6) months, the license shall be revoked.
(b)
The board may suspend or revoke a provisional license granted under subsection (a) of this section pursuant to W.S. 33
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401 through 33
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410. Licensees may appeal the revocation of their provisional license in accordance with the requirements of W.S. 33
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401 through 33
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410.
(c)
Provisional licenses shall be eligible to apply to convert into full licenses to practice medicine in this state after three (3) years of active practice under a provisional license in this state if the licensee has not been disciplined under W.S. 33
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401 through 33
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410 and subject to all of the board's rules and regulations under the Medical Practice Act under W.S. 33
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101 through 33
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601.
(d)
Provisional license holders shall comply with the continuing medical education requirements as set forth by the board's continuing medical education rules and regulations.
(e)
Nothing in this section shall require the board to license, on a provisional or full basis, an international physician without evidence of full compliance with the requirements under W.S. 33
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803(a).
(f)
International physicians who are required to obtain federal work authorization before commencing any work for the sponsoring health care provider are eligible to apply for a provisional license prior to receiving federal work authorization but shall not commence work under the provisional license without the required work authorization.
(g)
International physicians who become licensed under subsection (a) of this section shall not need to maintain employment with the original sponsoring health care provider.
Section 2.
W.S. 33
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102(a)(x), 33
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202(b) by creating a new paragraph (xx), 33
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301(b) by creating a new paragraph (ix), 33
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303(a)(intro), 33
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305(a) and 33
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401(e) are amended to read:
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102.
Definitions.
(a)
As used in this chapter:
(x)
"Licensee" means any person licensed by the board under this chapter
, including a person granted a provisional license under W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803
;
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202.
Board; duties; general powers.
(b)
The board is empowered and directed to:
(xx)
Adopt rules and regulations regarding granting international physicians provisional licenses pursuant to W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803.
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301.
License required.
(b)
Upon appropriate application, fulfillment of eligibility criteria and successful completion of all other requirements, the board may grant:
(ix)
A provisional license to an international physician pursuant to W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803.
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303.
Requirements for granting license.
(a)
The board may grant a license to practice medicine in this state as provided in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
, as provided by W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803
or, under this article, to any applicant who demonstrates, to the board, that he:
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305.
Annual renewal; expiration; reactivation of lapsed and inactive licenses; restoration of emeritus licenses to active status; duplicates.
(a)
All licenses other than temporary licenses
, provisional licenses pursuant to W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803
and medical training licenses shall lapse annually on a date or dates to be established by rules adopted by the board.
A licensee may renew his license each year by submitting a renewal application containing information required by the board, accompanied by proof of compliance with and fulfillment of continuing medical education requirements of the board in the manner set forth in the
board s
board's
continuing medical education rules and regulations and a renewal fee to the board in an amount set by the board pursuant to W.S. 33
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307.
The licensee
, including a provisional licensee,
additionally shall report any disciplinary action pending or taken by a state examining board, a health care entity or the grievance committee of a medical society during the preceding year.
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401.
Board duties; investigation; interview.
(e)
The board retains jurisdiction over only those licensees to whom
provisional licenses under W.S. 33
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801 through 33
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803,
temporary or full licenses were granted and who are subject to ongoing investigation by the board, regardless of whether the license expired, lapsed or was relinquished during or after the alleged occurrence of conduct proscribed by W.S. 33
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402 by the licensee.
Section 3.
The state board of medicine shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act.
Section 4
.
(a)
Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2025.
(b)
Sections 3 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
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SF0155