Michigan Medical License Requirements

To qualify for a license to practice medicine fully in Michigan, you must graduate from medical school, complete postgraduate training, pass a series of professional examinations and engage in ongoing medical training and education. Michigan also provides limited licenses for teaching doctors and physicians in training. The specific requirements, which differ from those of other states, are outlined here. More general information about Michigan health professional licensing can be found at Michigan Bureau of Health Professions (see Additional Resources).

Types of Medical Licenses

• Michigan issues three types of medical licenses. According to Michigan's Bureau of Health Professions, a Doctor of Medicine license qualifies you to practice as a physician in any health care setting. A Clinical Academic Limited Physician license qualifies you only to practice under the supervision of a fully license physician at an academic institution, and an Educational Limited Physician license is issued to students undergoing postgraduate training.

Initial Applications

• To apply for a Doctor of Medicine license, you must submit a 21-page application packet and a payment of $150. You must also submit your fingerprints, pass a criminal background check, certify your medical degree and completion of two years of postgraduate training and verify any medical licenses you hold from any other states. Last, you must submit your scores on the United States Medical Licensing Examination, which is more commonly referred to as the USMLE.
  As a teaching authorization, a Clinical Academic Limited Physician license requires proof that you have practiced in an academic institution previously, have an appointment to a Michigan teaching institution and have completed at least three years of postgraduate training. You must also submit fingerprints, pass a background check and pay $62.50.
  To receive an Educational Limited Physician license, you must pay $170, verify that you have an appointment to a Michigan teaching institution, submit fingerprints and pass a background check. If you graduated from a non-U.S. medical school, you must also send in your Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certificate.

USMLE

• The USMLE, administered by both the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners, has three steps. To practice as a full physician in Michigan, you must pass the USMLE Step 3 within five years of applying for a Doctor of Medicine license. Passing Step 1 and Step 2 of the USMLE are prerequisites for taking Step 3.

License Renewals

• An initial Doctor of Medicine license in Michigan remains valid for between four months and a full year, depending on the date when it was issued. Subsequent Doctor of Medicine licenses allow physicians to practice for three years.
  Qualifying for a renewed Doctor of Medicine license requires proof that you have completed at least 150 hours of continuing medical education, payment of an $85 fee, verification of any medical licenses you hold in other states and passing a new criminal background check.
  Renewals of Clinical Academic Limited Physician and Educational Limited Physician licenses require only confirmation of continued appointment to a Michigan institution.

Continuing Medical Education

• You must complete your continuing medical education hours by January 31 of the year in which your Doctor of Medicine license expires. At least 75 of your hours must come in the form of what the Michigan Bureau of Health Profession deems Category 1 or Category 6 activities. The bureau defines the categories as follows:
  Category 1: Completing programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education or by a state medical society, being tutored or earning a specialty certification or recertification
  Category 2: Completing nonaccredited programs
  Category 3: Serving as a tutor for or teaching other health care providers
  Category 4: Authoring books, articles or meeting papers or presenting exhibits at scientific meetings
  Category 5: Completing a Michigan Board of Medicine self-assessment, reading scientific journals, completing self-instruction courses or participating on institutional committees
  Category 6: Participating full time in a graduate training program