Bill > S207

Introduced Session

This bill establishes a pathway to licensure by the State Board of Medical Examiners for international medical graduates. "International medical graduate" is defined in the bill to mean any individual who: 1) has been granted a medical doctorate or substantially similar degree by a medical program of good standing within the last seven years; 2) is in good standing with the medical licensing or regulatory institution of the resident country of the individual within the last seven years; 3) has completed a residency or substantially similar post-graduate medical training in the resident country of the individual or has practiced as a medical professional performing the duties of a physician or surgeon in the resident country for no less than five of the last seven years; and 4) possesses basic fluency in the English language. Under the bill, the board will grant a provisional license, valid for three years, to any international medical graduate to practice medicine in New Jersey if the individual: 1) has an offer for employment as a physician or surgeon at any healthcare provider that is licensed to operate in the State; or 2) is already licensed to practice medicine in certain countries, as determined by the board. The individual is to also possess a federal immigration status that authorizes the individual to practice as a physician or surgeon in the United States. During the provisional licensure period, the licensee is only to practice as a physician or surgeon under the direct supervision of a physician or surgeon fully licensed and in good standing to practice medicine in the State. The board is authorized to revoke a provisional license based on clear and compelling evidence that medical services provided by the licensee violated State medical safety, competency, or conduct standards established by the board and an appeals process in response to a revocation is also established for the licensee. A provisional license automatically converts to a full license to practice medicine in New Jersey upon 1) the completion by an international medical graduate of three years working as a physician or surgeon under the provisional license and 2) without, as determined by the board, impairment, malpractice, fraud, or other misconduct reported to the board. The bill delineates the requirements the board is authorized to establish for the issuance of a provisional license, or the conversion of this license into a full license. This includes requiring an individual to 1) acquire training equivalent to the requirements of individuals trained in the United States and 2) satisfactorily pass examinations as required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Lastly, the bill requires that a licensee with a provisional license disclose this information to patients, prior to the provision of any medical services.

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Patrick Diegnan (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document