A resident physician license authorizes the licensee to practice as an intern, resident, or fellow while under the supervision of a licensed practitioner of medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery in a board-approved resident training program in Iowa. An Iowa resident physician license or an Iowa permanent physician license is required of any resident physician practicing in Iowa. When a resident physician receives a permanent Iowa license, the resident physician license will become inactive.

A resident physician license expires on the expected date of completion of the resident training program as indicated on the licensure application. A resident physician license is valid only for practice in the program designated in the application. When the physician leaves that program, the license will immediately become inactive. The Board may discipline a resident license for any of the grounds for which licensure may be revoked or suspended.

Changing Resident Training Programs

A resident physician who changes resident training programs must apply for a new resident license. Such changes include a transfer to a different program in the same institution, a move to a program in another institution, or becoming a fellow after completing a residency in the same core program.

An individual who contracts with an institution to be in two programs from the time of application for the resident license shall not be required to apply for another resident license for the second program. For example, if a residency requires one year in internal medicine prior to three years in dematology, the individual may apply initially for a four-year resident license to cover the bundled program. Relicensure is not required if the individual holds a permanent physician license in Iowa.

A resident physician licensee must notify the Board of any change in name within one month of making the name change. Notification requires a notarized copy of a marriage license or a notarized copy of court documents.

Eligibility for Resident Licensure

To be eligible for a resident license, an applicant shall meet all of the following requirements as found in Chapter 10. (This link will take you to the beginning of the Administrative Rules for all state agencies. Expand "Iowa Administrative Code", Find and Expand "MEDICINE BOARD [653] ", Locate Chapter 10) to access the rules for the Iowa Board of Medicine.)

• Fulfill the application requirements;

• Be at least 20 years of age;

• Hold a medical degree from an educational institution approved by the Board at the time the applicant graduated and was awarded the degree;

  • Educational institutions approved by the Board must be fully accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board as schools of instruction in medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery and empowered to grant academic degrees in medicine

  • The accrediting bodies currently recognized by the Board are:

    • LCME for the educational institutions granting degrees in medicine and surgery; and

    • AOA for educational institutions granting degrees in osteopathic medicine and surgery

  • If the applicant holds a medical degree from an educational institution not approved by the Board at the time the applicant graduated and was awarded the degree, the applicant must hold a valid certificate issued by ECFMG or have successfully completed a fifth pathway program established in accordance with AMA criteria.

Fees

To check the fee for a resident license click here.

How to Obtain an Application

Download the application and forms off our website.

Resident License Application Cycle

If the applicant does not submit all materials within 90 days of the board office's last documented request for further information, the application shall be considered inactive. The board office shall notify the applicant of this change in status. An applicant must reapply and submit a new nonrefundable application fee and a new application, documents and credentials.

Extension of a Resident Physician License

A resident physician is responsible for applying for an extension if the licensee wishes to complete the resident training program and the licensee has not been granted permanent physician licensure, and the licensee will not complete the program within 30 days of the expiration date of the resident license. The following materials are needed to apply for an extension. These items are due in the board office prior to the expiration of the license.

• Extension Application. Click here to request an application.
• A letter requesting an extension and providing an explanation of the need for an extension ;
• The extension fee: and
• A statement from the director of the resident training program attesting to the new expected date of completion of the program and the individual's progress in the program and whether any warnings have been issued, investigations conducted, or disciplinary actions taken, whether by voluntary agreement or formal action.

To check the fee for an extension of the resident license click here.

No documentation of continuing medical education or mandatory training on identifying and reporting abuse is required since a resident is in training.

Failure of the licensee to extend a license within one month following the expiration date will cause the license to become inactive and invalid. For example, a license that expires on June 26 becomes inactive and invalid on July 26. A licensee whose license is inactive is prohibited from practice until the license is extended or replaced by a permanent physician or new resident physician license.