Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 64B8-15.003 - The Meaning of Certification

Current through Reg. 47, No. 249; December 28, 2021

(1) Purpose.

(a) Certification of a foreign medical school is the responsibility of the Florida Department of Health and is based on standards established by the Florida Board of Medicine with the cooperation of the Department. To the extent possible the same standards as are applied in the accreditation of U.S. medical schools must be applied for certification of a foreign medical school. The law states that if reasonable comparability is established then the graduates of that certified medical school "shall be subject to the same licensure requirements as graduates of accredited medical schools or colleges".

(b) In practical terms a graduate of a foreign medical school that has been certified by the State of Florida will be eligible for the Florida medical licensure examination [Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX)] after one year of graduate training in an approved program. No additional qualifying examinations will be required for licensure in Florida. Under present conditions, program directors and institutions are required by the ACGME to be certain that foreign medical graduates have been certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates before they are eligible to enter an approved residency program in the United States. The standards required by law for licensure in Florida are not the same as, or required to take into consideration, standards set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for entry into an accredited residency program in the United States. See "Directory of Residency Training Programs," (ACGME).

(c) Certification is entirely voluntary on the part of the school. The Florida law states: "Any foreign medical school which wishes to be certified pursuant to this section shall make application to the department for such certification . . . ."

(2) Responsibility.

(a) Responsibility for certification of foreign medical schools rests in the Florida Department of Health. The law states "the department may contract with outside consultants or a national professional organization to survey and evaluate foreign medical schools. Such consultants or organization shall report to the department regarding its findings in the survey and evaluations."

(3) Standards.

(a) The certification of foreign medical school programs leading to the M.D. degree, or its equivalent, is determined by the Florida Department of Health. To be certified, programs must meet the standards set forth by the Board in this rule chapter as judged by the Department, with the assistance of the technical advisory group. These standards are sometimes stated in a fashion that is not susceptible to quantification or to precise definition because the nature of the evaluation is qualitative in character and can be accomplished only by the exercise of professional judgment by qualified persons.

(b) In these standards, the words "must" and "should" have been chosen with care. Use of the word "must" indicates that Florida considers meeting the standard to be absolutely necessary if the program is to be certified. Use of the word "should" indicates that Florida considers an attribute to be highly desirable and makes a judgment as to whether or not its absence may compromise substantial compliance with all of the requirements for certification.

Notes

Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 64B8-15.003

Specific Authority 458.309, 458.314(4) FS. Law Implemented 458.314 FS.

New 8-24-87, Formerly 21M-42.003, 61F6-42.003, 59R-15.003.