You are encouraged to review all laws and rules relating to the licensure of physician assistants in Florida before completing an application for licensure. Links to the Florida Statutes and the Florida Administrative Code are available on the Board of Medicine’s website at Florida Board of Medicine » Links and Resources. You are also encouraged to read all instructions before and during the application process. Failure to do so may result in delays in the processing of your application.
To practice as a physician assistant in the state of Florida, you must have a valid Florida physician assistant license. The licensing process involves the collection of credentials from an applicant and from other sources. Once materials are submitted, an application specialist will review them and may request additional information. For example, if you have been named in a malpractice suit or have answered “yes” to any of the questions in the application, anticipate the possibility that additional information will be requested. Our goal is to review materials as quickly as possible, but the process is very thorough.
You can expedite the application process by applying online and by including all relevant materials with your initial application packet. Once your initial submissions are reviewed, if it is determined that they are incomplete you will receive a deficiency letter within 30 days after the Department of Health receives your application. Please direct questions and comments to BOM_InitialApps@flhealth.gov.
You can check the status of your application at any time by clicking the “Check Status” link. You will need to have your File ID number and your date of birth to access the information. Your File ID number will be given to you when you start the application process. After submitting your application, it may take up to 15 days before your status information is up to date.
If you choose or are required to submit a paper application, submit your application, supporting documentation, and applicable fee payment to the following address:
Department of Health/ HMQAM
P.O. Box 6330
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-6330
Receiving your paper application and logging in your payment may take up to five to seven business days, which will cause a delay in processing. Only after your application and fees are received and logged in will your application be forwarded to the Board office for processing.
It is important to use the above address when fees are enclosed with your application. Mail additional documentation, or anything submitted without a fee to the following address:
Department of Health
Medical Quality Assurance/Board of Medicine
HMQAM
4052 Bald Cypress Way, BIN #C-03
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3253
All documents submitted must include your name as listed on your application to ensure materials reach your application specialist in a timely manner.
Section 456.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes, and Chapter 64B8-4.016, Florida Administrative Code, provides that a licensure application and application fee are valid for one year. Application fees are non-refundable.
Our professions have a minimum licensure period of five months. Because physician assistant licenses expire in even years, some licensees end up with a much shorter initial licensure period, while others have a much longer initial licensure period depending on when licenses are issued. Physician assistant licenses that are issued before September in an odd year will have a renewal date of January 31 of the following year. Those issued after September of an odd year will have a longer initial licensure period before having to renew for the first time.
Beginning in 2023, electronic licenses (e-licenses) replaced the former practice of printing and mailing paper-based licenses. Transition to paperless licensing means licensees can retrieve licenses through the MQA Online Services Portal within two business days after an application is approved. E-licensing will allow licensees to obtain newly issued or newly renewed licenses free of charge and seven to 10 days earlier than previously mailed versions. E-licenses include QR codes that increase the information security of licensees and enables users, such as employers and consumers, to access and verify the credentials of health care practitioners.
The State of Florida operates under Chapter 286, Florida Statutes, commonly referred to as the “Sunshine Law.” This law requires that Board and Council meetings be public and provides that all information you provide to the Department of Health is public record open to public inspection pursuant to section 119.07, F.S., with the exception of financial information, examination records, and patient records.
As part of the licensure process, a personal appearance before the Council on Physician Assistants may be required for a variety of reasons: e.g., malpractice history, health history, criminal convictions, prior disciplinary actions, etc. If an appearance is required, you will be notified by mail stating the date, time, location, and reason(s) for the appearance.
We strongly recommend that you do not make any personal or professional commitments until you are actually licensed. Some applicants suffer significant costs by signing mortgages and committing to an employment start date prematurely. All applications are handled equally and fairly, and we process applications, mail, e-mails, and telephone calls in the order in which they are received by Board staff. In other words, the processing of an application will not be accelerated at the expense of another applicant due to a premature commitment.