Wyoming bill would let eligible foreign-trained doctors seek provisional licenses

The Wyoming Board of Medicine could grant provisional medical licenses to eligible internationally trained physicians. Applicants must have an approved medical degree, recent good standing with their licensing body, required training or years of practice, health care English skills, and passing scores on required licensing exams. Applicants must meet board rules, pay required fees, pass an international background check, and be eligible for federal immigration status that allows them to practice in the United States. Applicants need a written job offer from a Wyoming health care provider. The board may issue a license but is not required to do so. Applicants who need federal work authorization may apply before receiving it, but cannot work until authorized. Their license remains suspended until the board receives proof of authorization. If enacted, most of the bill would take effect July 1, 2026. Its rulemaking section would take effect when the bill becomes law.

Provisional license holders would have to work under an approved supervising physician and meet reporting, insurance, and patient safety rules. These rules apply to internationally trained physicians with provisional licenses, their board-approved supervisors, and their employing health care providers. The supervisor and provider must submit monthly performance reports; when the supervisor works for the provider, the supervisor's report also meets the provider's reporting duty. Missing reports can automatically suspend the license until they are filed within 30 days after notice. For the first year, the supervisor must be at the same facility during patient care, and must sign controlled substance prescriptions. After that year, the supervisor must be available within 15 minutes during patient care; controlled substance prescriptions need regular review and must follow state and federal law. The holder must keep required liability insurance and cannot supervise a physician assistant. Employment or supervision ending, or insurance lapsing, triggers immediate suspension until the bill's requirements are met. The first-year supervision and prescription rules begin when the license is issued. After its first anniversary, the supervisor may provide real-time oversight remotely if available within 15 minutes.

A provisional license holder could apply for a full, unrestricted medical license. This option is for holders of provisional licenses issued under the bill. The doctor must complete three years of continuous, successful practice in Wyoming without discipline, follow board rules, and pass the third step of a required licensing exam in no more than three attempts. The board would not have to grant a full license without evidence that all requirements are met. The doctor could apply after three years of continuous, successful practice in Wyoming.