Physicians and surgeons: fellowship programs: special faculty permits.

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, authorizes physicians who are not citizens and who seek postgraduate study to, after application to and approval by the Medical Board of California, be permitted to participate in a fellowship program in a specialty or subspecialty field, if the fellowship program is given in a hospital in this state which is approved by the Joint Commission and if the service is satisfactory to the board. This bill would authorize physicians who are not citizens and who seek postgraduate study to, after application to and approval by the board, be permitted to participate in a fellowship program in a specialty or subspecialty field if certain criteria are met, including that the fellowship program is given in a federally qualified health center, as defined, in this state that receives funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program and the service is satisfactory to the board. The Medical Practice Act also authorizes a holder of a special faculty permit to practice medicine only within the medical school itself, any affiliated institution of the medical school, or an academic medical center and any affiliated institution in which the permitholder is providing instruction as part of the medical school's or academic medical center's educational program and for which the medical school or academic medical center has assumed direct responsibility. The act prescribes criteria that a person is required to satisfy in order to apply for a special faculty permit, including that the person is academically eminent and possesses a current valid license to practice medicine issued by another state, country, or other jurisdiction. The act provides that a person is "academically eminent" if the person either holds or has been offered a full-time appointment at the level of full professor in a tenure track position, or its equivalent, at an academic medical center, as defined, or a California medical school approved by the board or the person is clearly outstanding in a specific field of medicine or surgery and has been offered by the dean of a medical school or the dean or chief medical officer of an academic medical center a full-time academic appointment at the level of full professor or associate professor, and a great need exists to fill that position. This bill would additionally authorize a holder of a special faculty permit to practice medicine in a federally qualified health center and any affiliated institution. The bill would also provide that a person is also academically eminent if the person is an immigrant international medical graduate, as defined, participating in a fellowship program in a specialty or subspecialty field in a rural community or underserved community.