The Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine provide the following information to assist individuals from Puerto Rico who are seeking to work in Florida:
The following steps have been taken to facilitate the verification of licensure:
- Licenses are verified by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) for Puerto Rico physicians who have tested through that entity to satisfy the current Florida requirements.
- FSMB has reached out to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to assist in verifying postgraduate training and medical education.
- Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) continues to verify the medical credentials for physicians who choose to use FCVS services.
- National Practitioner Data Bank was contacted. Medical license information for Puerto Rican licensed physicians is retained.
- The American Medical Association (AMA) profile has been used as a resource to assist in verifying the postgraduate training for physicians.
Information regarding opportunities to be designated as an Area of Critical Need Medical Doctor or Limited License Medical Doctor can be found HERE.
Additional information regarding Background Screening:
Applicants for initial licensure must use a LiveScan service provider to submit a set of fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for the purpose of conducting a search for any Florida and national criminal history records that may pertain to the applicant. The results of the search will be returned to the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and made available to the Department for consideration during the licensure process. The fingerprints submitted by the applicant will be retained by FDLE and the Clearinghouse. All costs for conducting a criminal history background screening are borne by the applicant. It is important to use the correct Originating Agency Identification (ORI) when submitting fingerprints. If you do not provide an ORI number or if you provide an incorrect ORI number to the service provider, the board office will not receive your fingerprint results, so it is extremely important to use the correct ORI when having your fingerprints scanned.
Applicants can use any FDLE approved LiveScan service provider to submit their fingerprints. The applicant is fully responsible for selecting the service provider and ensuring the results are reported to the Department. You must print this form and take it with you to a Livescan service provider. For more information, FAQs, and a list of all approved Livescan service providers please visit the Department’s website at: https://www.flhealthsource.gov/background-screening and click on the Livescan Service Providers tab.
