If you are a physician considering retirement, but are not ready to give up the practice of medicine, you may be questioning your options. Placing your license in retirement status prohibits you from practicing medicine in any form, but there is another option. Physicians have the opportunity to convert their full medical license to a limited license, in order to practice on a volunteer basis. Physicians with limited licenses who are working without compensation are not required to pay renewal fees. Limited licenses, however, are restricted to areas of critical need.
To convert a full medical license to a limited license for the purpose of volunteering, physicians must do the following:
- Submit a written statement declaring their intention to convert their license.
- Submit a letter from the employing agency or facility stating no compensation will be received for their services. If the physician will not be immediately employed, he or she will need to state this in their written request to convert their license.
The cost for converting a full medical license to a limited license for the purpose of volunteering will be waived, unless the license is delinquent, in which case the physician must pay a fee of $25. More information about limited licenses can be found in s. 458.317, F.S.
