Armed Forces: medical personnel.

Existing federal law authorizes a health care professional, as defined, to practice his or her health profession in any state or territory without licensure by that state if he or she has a current license to practice the health profession and is performing authorized duties for the Department of Defense. Existing state law provides that no board that licenses dentists, physicians and surgeons, podiatrists, or nurses may require a person to obtain a California license to practice his or her profession in this state if the person is employed by, or has a contract with, the federal government and is rendering services in a facility of the government or the person is practicing as part of a program or project conducted by the federal government which, by federal statute, exempts persons in the program from state licensure, as specified. This bill, until January 1, 2016, would authorize a hospital to enter into an agreement with the Armed Forces of the United States to authorize a physician and surgeon, physician assistant, or registered nurse to provide medical care in the hospital if the health care professional holds a valid license in good standing in another state or territory, the medical care is provided as part of a training or educational program designed to promote the combat readiness of the health care professional, and the agreement complies with federal law. The bill would exempt those health care professionals from licensure or relicensure by the State of California while practicing under an agreement, but would require those health care professionals to register with the board that licenses that health care profession in this state and to wear a specified name tag while working.