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== Canada ==
Canada requires that applicants have graduated from a school registered in the [[World Directory of Medical Schools]], and apply to sit the ''[[Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mcc.ca/examinations/mccee/application-information/ |title=StackPath |access-date=2017-03-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321021434/http://mcc.ca/examinations/mccee/application-information/ |archive-date=2017-03-21 }} retrieved 15/03/2017</ref> Licenses are issued by [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Provincial]] bodies. and aA brief history of medical licensing in [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]], with a list of physicians licensed prior to 1867, is available at [https://internatlibs.mcgill.ca/Licences/Medical%20Licences.htm David Crawford's website.].
 
===Criticism===
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==China==
Medical practitioners in China started to be licensed for the first time when Law of the People's Republic of China on Medical Practitioners passed on June 26, 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.cn/banshi/2005-08/01/content_18970.htm|title=中华人民共和国执业医师法|website=www.gov.cn|access-date=24 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925052728/http://www.gov.cn/banshi/2005-08/01/content_18970.htm|archive-date=25 September 2017}}</ref> The law, which came into effect May 1, 1999, requires all newly graduated medical students to sit the National Medical Licensing Examination, regulated by the National Medical Examination Center, and then register with the local regulatory body. The two-part exam includes a Clinical Skill (CS) test and a General Written (GW) test. The candidates must pass the CS test to take the GW test. Each year, the CS is held in July, followed by the GW in September.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmec.org.cn/EnglishEdition.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-05-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528011940/http://www.nmec.org.cn/EnglishEdition.html |archive-date=2014-05-28 }}</ref> The medical practitioners on the job who had obtained a primary medical qualification (i.e., Bachelor of Medicine) prior to law are not required to sit the exam and can directly be licensed.
 
==Colombia==
{{CitationsMore citations needed section|date=October 2022}}
The Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Superior (ICFES) and the Ministry of Education regulate the medical schools that are licensed to offer medical degrees. After completing all the schools' requirements to obtain a medical degree, physicians must serve the "obligatory social service" (in rural areas, research, public health or special populations e.g., orphan children), which usually lasts one year. After completing the social service, a doctor obtains a "medical registration" at the governor's office (Gobernación) of the Department (province/state) where they served the obligatory term. This registration is the same as a license in other countries, and authorizes the physician to practice medicine anywhere in the national territory. However, to practice in other departments requires an inscription from that department. Unlike the US, there is no official licensing exam for medical graduates in Colombia, since this responsibility is delegated to medical schools that have permission to confer medical degrees.
 
==Germany<!--'Approbation (Germany)'-->==
In Germany, licensing of doctors ("Approbation") is the responsibility of the state governments. Licensed doctors are compulsory members of "Ärztekammern" (literally: "Physician chambers"), which are medical associations organized on state level. Criteria for licensing of doctors are regulated in the ''{{Lang|de|Approbationsordnung für Ärzte''}}, which is a piece of federal law.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/_appro_2002/BJNR240500002.html |title=Approbationsordnung für Ärzte (Licensing regulation for physicians) |language=de |website=www.gesetze-im-internet.de |access-date=19 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220172026/https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/_appro_2002/BJNR240500002.html |archive-date=20 February 2017 }}</ref> According to the licensing regulations, the physician must have successfully completed his medical studies and passed the (final) examination. He or she must not have engaged in negative behavior that would raise clear concerns about his or her suitability (e.g., practicing a criminal offense). Furthermore, the physician must meet the health requirements and have sufficient German language skills to be able to perform the profession.
 
Physicians who have not studied medicine in Germany, among others, must prove their language skills by means of a German B2 certificate and a successfully completed Fachsprachprüfung. In addition, doctors who have not studied in the EU, EEA or Switzerland must prove that their studies are equivalent. For this purpose, they usually have to pass a Kenntnisprüfung (''test of competence'').<ref>"[https://approbatio.de/approbation-for-foreign-doctors-in-germany/ Approbation for foreign doctors in Germany]". www.approbatio.de (in German). Retrieved 15 September 2021.</ref>
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===History===
The [[Tenth Amendment to the United States BillConstitution|Tenth ofAmendment Rights|Billto ofthe RightsConstitution]], passedbecame inthe 1791underpinning for the entire medical licensing system. Following several years of discussion and debate, gavethe states' ratification of this amendment as part of the right[[United toStates regulateBill healthof Rights|Bill of Rights]] concluded on December 15, 1791.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|doiweb = 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181f557ed|title =ISBN The9780739174395 Important- RoleMedical ofLicensing Medicaland LicensureDiscipline in America: A History of the UnitedFederation States|yearof =State 2010|last1Medical Boards |url=https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/0739174398 Chaudhry|first1access-date=2024-04-28 |website=isbnsearch.org}}</ref> HumayunIt Jexplicitly avowed that powers not granted to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution.|journal = AcademicThe Medicine|volumeTenth =Amendment 85|issueremains =a 11|pagesliving =codification 1657;of authorstates replyrights 1657–8|pmidand =is 20980844|doi-accessroutinely =cited free}}by state medical boards today to justify the authority delegated to them by their state legislatures.</ref name=":1"/> In 1811, Ohio passed legislation licensing physicians but repealed these laws in 1833. In 1817, Illinois legislated the medical practice, but had repealed these laws by 1826.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Horowitz|first=Ruth|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/830022784|title=In the public interest : medical licensing and the disciplinary process|date=2013|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=978-0-8135-5428-0|location=New Brunswick, N.J.|oclc=830022784}}</ref>{{Rp|page=40}}
 
The [[American Medical Association]] when formed in 1847, proposed that the state legislate medicine (rather than each of the different medical schools). Horowitz argues that this suggestion was made in order to gain greater control over medical education.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=38}}
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In 1877, the Illinois legislature passed the Illinois medical licensing law, which led to the aggressive prosecution of physicians that were perceived as illegal or unethical.<ref name = PMC2701151/> Medical boards of other states (often composed of both regular and irregular physicians) followed suit.<ref name = PMC2701151/> Some authors claim that these efforts allowed organized regular and irregular physicians to exclude not only fraudulent practitioners, but other groups, including midwives, clairvoyants, osteopaths, Christian Scientists, and magnetic healers.<ref>Sandvick, Clinton. "Enforcing Medical Licensing in Illinois:1877-1890" Yale J. Bio. Med. June 2009, volume 82, issue 2, pages 67.</ref>
 
In 1889, ''[[Dent v. West Virginia]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Dent v. West Virginia, 129 U.S. 114, 9 S. Ct. 231, 32 L. Ed. 623, 1889 U.S. LEXIS 1669 – CourtListener.com |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/92392/dent-v-west-virginia/?q=%22129%20U.S.%20%22&type=o&order_by=dateFiled%20asc&stat_Precedential=on&filed_after=01%2F01%2F1889&filed_before=01%2F01%2F1890&court=scotus |website=CourtListener |access-date=15 April 2022 |language=en-us}}</ref> the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time upheld a state physician licensing law. A practitioner with insufficient credentials to obtain a medical license sued West Virginia, claiming a violation of his rights under the [[due process clause]] of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|14th Amendment]]. The Supreme Court upheld the statute noting that, while each citizen had a right to follow any lawful calling, they were subject to reasonable state restrictions. Because of the nature of medical training, the large amount of knowledge required, and the life-and-death circumstances with which physicians dealt, patients needed to rely on the assurance of a license requiring physicians to meet a minimum set of standards.
 
In 1956, the [[Federation of State Medical Boards]] released "A Guide to the Essentials of a Modern Medical Practice Act."<ref>https://medicallicensedirect.com/files/A_Guide_to_the_Essentials_of_a_Modern_Medical_Practice_Act.pdf</ref> The report distilled a series of recommendations that addressed five core areas: the definition of the practice of medicine; eligibility standards for licensure; licensing examinations; licensure endorsement; and the bases for probation, suspension, or revocation of a license.<ref name=":1" /> Since its initial publication in 1956, the Essentials of a Modern Medical Practice Act has passed through thirteen updated editions, with the most recent in 2012.<ref name=":1" />
By the beginning of the 20th century most states had implemented licensing laws.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=44}}During the 20th century, medical boards sought to eliminate diploma mills by expanding their requirements for medical schools.<ref name = PMC2701151/> They started to dictate the length and type of education required for licensing.<ref name = PMC2701151/> As early as 1910, all but 12 states excluded physicians from medical practice if their schools were not found to be in "good standing".<ref name = PMC2701151/> Between 1910 and 1935, more than half of all American medical schools merged or closed, in some part due to all state medical boards gradually adopting and enforcing the [[Flexner Report]]'s recommendations on having all schools connected to universities.<ref>{{cite journal|last=McAlister|first=Vivian|author2=Claydon, Emily|title=The Life of John Wishart (1850–1926): Study of an Academic Surgical Career Prior to the Flexner Report|journal=World Journal of Surgery|year=2012|pages=684–8|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/32172|doi=10.1007/s00268-011-1407-x|pmid=22270978|pmc=3279636|volume=36|issue=3}}</ref>
 
By the beginning of the 20th century most states had implemented licensing laws.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=44}}During the 20th century, medical boards sought to eliminate diploma mills by expanding their requirements for medical schools.<ref name = "PMC2701151" /> They started to dictate the length and type of education required for licensing.<ref name = "PMC2701151" /> As early as 1910, all but 12 states excluded physicians from medical practice if their schools were not found to be in "good standing".<ref name = "PMC2701151" /> Between 1910 and 1935, more than half of all American medical schools merged or closed, in some part due to all state medical boards gradually adopting and enforcing the [[Flexner Report]]'s recommendations on having all schools connected to universities.<ref>{{cite journal|last=McAlister|first=Vivian|author2=Claydon, Emily|title=The Life of John Wishart (1850–1926): Study of an Academic Surgical Career Prior to the Flexner Report|journal=World Journal of Surgery|year=2012|pages=684–8|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/32172|doi=10.1007/s00268-011-1407-x|pmid=22270978|pmc=3279636|volume=36|issue=3}}</ref>
Today, physicians are perhaps the most highly regulated professionals with detailed criteria for licensing established by medical boards in each state.<ref name = PMC2701151/><ref>{{cite web |access-date = 31 May 2021 |website = FSMB.org |publisher = [[Federation of State Medical Boards]] |url = https://www.fsmb.org/step-3/state-licensure/|title = State Specific Requirements for Initial Medical Licensure}}</ref>
 
Today, physicians are amongst the most highly regulated professionals with detailed criteria for licensing established by medical boards in each state, however, lack of discretionary action against physician misconduct by state medical boards has been criticized in recent years for their failure to discipline physicians, despite several consumer concerns and complaints.<ref name="PMC2701151" /><ref>{{cite web |access-date = 31 May 2021 |website = FSMB.org |publisher = [[Federation of State Medical Boards]] |url = https://www.fsmb.org/step-3/state-licensure/|title = State Specific Requirements for Initial Medical Licensure}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-26 |title=Doctors who put lives at risk with covid misinformation rarely punished |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/07/26/covid-misinformation-doctor-discipline/ |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Los Angeles Times |date=2022-01-14 |title=California Medical Board and troubled doctors: What you need to know |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-10/full-coverage-california-medical-board-and-troubled-doctors |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Further|Federation of State Medical Boards}}
 
===Criticism===
{{POV|date=May 2021}}
According to a 1979 article in the ''[[Journal of Libertarian Studies]]'', the enactment of U.S. state medical licensing laws in the late 1800s was for the primary purpose of reducing competition and allowing physicians to make more money.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hamowy |first1=R. |title=The early development of medical licensing laws in the United States, 1875-1900 |journal=The Journal of Libertarian Studies |date=1979 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=73–119 |pmid=11614768 |issn=0363-2873}}</ref>
The added benefit of public safety made restrictive licensure laws more appealing to both physicians and legislators. Infrequently mentioned in the literature, is that the "public safety" that is created by reducing the number of practitioners only extends to the patients who receive medical care. Thus, the overall effect is more expensive and higher-quality medical care for fewer patients.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Camenisch|first1=Paul F.|date=August 1978|title=On the matter of good moral character|journal=The Linacre Quarterly|volume=45|issue=3|pages=273–283|issn=0024-3639|pmid=11661606}}</ref>
 
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== External links ==
* [httphttps://www.healthguideusa.org/medical_license_lookup.htm USA Medical License Lookup]
 
{{Authority control}}