wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 5185 > Substitute Bill

SB 5185 - International med. pathways

Source

Section 1

  1. Applicants for licensure to practice medicine who have graduated from a school of medicine located outside of the states, territories, and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Dominion of Canada, shall file an application for licensure with the commission on a form prepared by the secretary with the approval of the commission. Each applicant shall furnish proof satisfactory to the commission of the following:

    1. That he or she has completed in a school of medicine a resident course of professional instruction equivalent to that required in this chapter for applicants generally;

    b.That he or she meets all the requirements which must be met by graduates of the United States and Canadian school of medicine except that he or she need not have graduated from a school of medicine approved by the commission;

    1. That he or she has satisfactorily passed the examination given by the educational council for foreign medical graduates or has met the requirements in lieu thereof as set forth in rules adopted by the commission;

    2. That he or she has the ability to read, write, speak, understand, and be understood in the English language.

  2. An applicant may obtain an exceptional qualification waiver, waiving requirements determined by the commission in rule, if they possess an acceptable body of work related to research, medical excellence, or employment, and have the recommendation of other national or international experts in the same specialty or field.

  3. The commission may adopt rules to establish a primary care license for applicants who have successfully completed the clinical experience graduate pilot program as outlined in section 2 of this act.

Section 2

  1. The commission shall establish and administer the clinical experience graduate pilot program.

  2. The pilot program must allow a medical graduate to participate in the program if the applicant:

    1. Holds a clinical experience license issued on or before July 1, 2026;

    2. Has completed two years of continuous supervised clinical practice under a clinical experience license;

    3. Does not have any active disciplinary action or significant disciplinary history as determined by the commission;

    4. Has obtained satisfactory clinical assessment evaluations from the supervising physician in all categories in a clinical assessment evaluation approved by the commission for the period of supervised practice;

    5. Has obtained an attestation from the supervising physician; and

    6. Has obtained a written endorsement from the medical director of the practice site if different than the supervising physician.

  3. The Washington medical commission shall engage with the American board of medical specialties to consider a process for board certification for program participants.

  4. The pilot program shall create a pathway to full, unrestricted medical licensure to provide primary care upon successful completion of the following:

    1. Two years of supervised clinical experience license practice in addition to the two years of continuous supervised clinical practice under a clinical experience license needed to qualify for the pilot program;

    2. Requirements of the clinical experience license program;

    3. Step 3 of the United States medical licensing examination; and

    4. Passing a clinical competency assessment approved by the commission.

  5. Practice sites eligible for the program include:

    1. Hospitals;

    2. Federally qualified health centers;

    3. Government entities;

    4. Private practices or physician employment groups with at least 10 full-time equivalent, board-certified physicians that deliver patient care in Washington state; and

    5. Mental and behavioral health facilities, upon approval by the commission.

  6. By November 1, 2027, and until November 1, 2035, the commission must provide an annual report on the clinical experience graduate pilot program to the legislature. The report must include:

    1. Data about practice patterns of program participants, including, but not limited to, practice locations and specialty;

    2. Relevant disciplinary actions taken against pilot program participants; and

    3. Recommendations for how the pilot program could be expanded to include graduates of medical schools in the United States.

  7. This section expires June 30, 2035.

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