Resident Licensure

A resident physician license authorizes the licensee to practice as an intern, resident, or fellow while under the supervision of a licensed practitioner of medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery in a board-approved resident training program in Iowa. An Iowa resident physician license or an Iowa permanent physician license is required of any resident physician practicing in Iowa. When a resident physician receives a permanent Iowa license, the resident physician license will become inactive.

A resident physician license expires on the expected date of completion of the resident training program as indicated on the licensure application. A resident physician license is valid only for practice in the program designated in the application. When the physician leaves that program, the license will immediately become inactive. The board may discipline a resident license for any of the grounds for which licensure may be revoked or suspended.

Changing Resident Training Programs

A resident physician who changes resident training programs must apply for a new resident license. Such changes include a transfer to a different program in the same institution, a move to a program in another institution, or becoming a fellow after completing a residency in the same core program.

An individual who contracts with an institution to be in two programs from the time of application for the resident license shall not be required to apply for another resident license for the second program. For example, if a residency requires one year in internal medicine prior to three years in dermatology, the individual may apply initially for a four-year resident license to cover the bundled program. Re-licensure is not required if the individual holds a permanent physician license in Iowa.

A resident physician licensee must notify the board of any change in name within one month of making the name change. Notification requires a notarized copy of a marriage license or a notarized copy of court documents.

Eligibility for Resident Licensure

To be eligible for a resident license, an applicant shall meet all of the following requirements as found in Chapter 10.

• Fulfill the application requirements;
• Be at least 20 years of age;
• Hold a medical degree from an educational institution approved by the board at the time the applicant graduated and was awarded the degree;
  • Educational institutions approved by the board must be fully accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the board as schools of instruction in medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery and empowered to grant academic degrees in medicine
  • The accrediting bodies currently recognized by the board are:
    • LCME for the educational institutions granting degrees in medicine and surgery; and
    • AOA for educational institutions granting degrees in osteopathic medicine and surgery
  • If the applicant holds a medical degree from an educational institution not approved by the board at the time the applicant graduated and was awarded the degree, the applicant must hold a valid certificate issued by ECFMG or have successfully completed a fifth pathway program established in accordance with AMA criteria.

Fees

Read about the fee for a resident license application.

How to Apply

Click here for more information on the application process. *Please do not apply more than 6 months prior to your start date*

Program Certification Form

Applicants who are applying for a resident license must forward the Program Certification Form to the Program Director at your proposed Iowa training program. The Program Director must complete and submit this form directly to the Iowa Board of Medicine.

Resident License Application Cycle

If the applicant does not submit all materials within 90 days of the board office's initial documented request for further information, the application shall be considered inactive. The board office shall notify the applicant of this change in status. An applicant must reapply and submit a new nonrefundable application fee and a new application, documents and credentials.

Extension of a Resident Physician License

A resident physician is responsible for applying for an extension if they cannot complete the resident training program within 30 days of the expiration date of the resident license and if they have not been granted permanent physician licensure. A program extension form and extension fees are needed to apply for an extension. These items are due in the board office prior to the expiration of the license.

• Click here to renew your license online. You will be redirected to the Board's Online Services website. Please note: the option to renew will not be available more than 60 days prior to your expiration date.
• Provide an explanation of the need for an extension on the Extension application;
• Extension fee total is $32 ($25 for extension and $7 for online processing fee) 

AND

• A statement from the director of the resident training program attesting to the new expected date of completion of the program and the individual's progress in the program and whether any warnings have been issued, investigations conducted, or disciplinary actions taken, whether by voluntary agreement or formal action. Print this form and submit to your program director for completion.
• The program extension form, completed by your training program director, will need uploaded to your account and fees paid prior to processing.

To check the fee for an extension of the resident license visit our fees page.

No documentation of continuing medical education or mandatory training on identifying and reporting abuse is required since a resident is in training.

Failure of the licensee to extend a license within one month following the expiration date will cause the license to become inactive and invalid. For example, a license that expires on June 26 becomes inactive and invalid on July 26. A licensee whose license is inactive is prohibited from practice until the license is extended or replaced by a permanent physician license or new resident physician license.

Visiting Resident Physician

A visiting resident physician may come to Iowa to practice as a part of the physician’s resident training program if the physician is under the supervision of an Iowa-licensed physician. An Iowa physician license is not required of a physician in training if the physician has a resident or permanent license in good standing in the home state of the resident training program. An Iowa temporary physician license is required of a physician in training if the physician does not hold a resident or permanent physician license in good standing in the home state of the resident training program.