Legislature(2003 - 2004)
03/22/2004 01:31 PM Senate HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 373-PHYSICIAN INTERNS AND RESIDENTS
The committee took up SB 373.
CHAIR DYSON presented the sponsor statement as follows:
Current Alaska statutes require that all residents
participating in the WAMI/Family Practice Residency
program receive a permit by the State Medical Board
for a period not to exceed 18 months after the date of
issue. Renewal permits to continue residency [or
internship] are also issued by the board, for a period
not to exceed 18 months after the date of renewal.
Given that the program is a three-year program, all
residents are required to get the renewal. The
renewal process has been fraught with problems.
Residents have needed to interrupt their training on
multiple occasions because the renewed permits were
not issued efficiently. This legislation would extend
the period from 18 to 36 months.
CHAIR DYSON indicated that Senators Davis and Green had joined
the meeting.
DR. HAROLD JOHNSTON, a family physician, and director of
Providence Alaska's family practice residency in Anchorage,
testified via teleconference that this bill extends the initial
permit length for resident physicians from 18 months to three
years so that it corresponds with the length of the training
program. Family physicians are required to have a total of
three years of residency training in order to be board
certified. Current law allows the permit for a maximum of 18
months. This requires that the residents renew their permits
half way through the training program; this poses problems for
the Division of Occupational Licensing. The processing of the
licensing renewal requests has created difficulties on several
occasions, which has almost caused residents to stop their
training.
DR. JOHNSTON explained that when the 18-month requirement was
originally established, physicians in Alaska only needed to have
one year of training before being eligible for a full license.
The 18-month term for resident permits allowed residents to
complete the first year of training and still have an additional
six months to get paperwork processed for the regular license.
Several years ago the state law changed, requiring physicians to
have two years of residency before obtaining an unrestricted
license, which means the 18-month permit is inadequate to get
the resident through his/her initial licensing period. The
ideal situation would be for permits to be issued for a three-
year period from the start of training because in this scenario,
there would be no requirement for a renewal.
CHAIR DYSON asked if there was anybody present from the
administration or the [Division of Occupational Licensing] to
speak to the bill. Hearing no response, he then asked, "Do you
have any idea, Dr. Johnston, how we got into this remarkable
fix?"
DR. JOHNSTON re-stated that it was because the law had changed.
Originally the 18-month permit was fine because only one year of
training was required before getting an unrestricted license.
About two or three years ago, the Legislature changed the
requirement, and now physicians need to have at least two years
- and sometimes three years - of training before getting an
unrestricted license. He said he has worked with the State
Medical Board on this issue, and at the January meeting after
some considerable debate, a resolution unanimously passed in
support of changing this to 36 months.
SENATOR GARY WILKEN moved to report SB 373 out of committee with
individual recommendations.
CHAIR DYSON asked if there was any objection. Seeing and
hearing none, it was so ordered.
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