Licensing and Credentialling

All pathology residents must have a license to practice medicine in Massachusetts. First-year residents usually apply for a limited license through the hospital. This application is included in materials received from Pathology Administration before starting the residency and currently requires a $100 fee. The limited license must be renewed each year (another $100) and is valid for the duration of the residency. The Massachusetts Board of Registration which issues these licenses expects residents to complete clinical training in 5 years and a 6th limited license year is not automatically awarded. Since licenses do not need to be issue in consecutive years, it may be preferable for a resident engaging full-time in research to delay license renewal until clinical training is resumed. See John Fahey (x57965) in Pathology Administration (One Brigham Circle, fourth floor) for questions regarding these issues. Residents must contact John at the end of each year to determine license status for the next year.
In addition to obtaining a license, residents must provide credentialling information to the hospital every 2 years. These materials are sent to residents by Physician Services for completion at the appropriate times.

USMLE Step 3

Step 3 of the USMLE should be taken in your first year of residency. The test is administered through the National Board of Medical Examiners (www.nbme.org). For more information contact:

National Board of Medical Examiners
P.O. Box 8500
Philadelphia, PA 19178

After becoming board-certified by NBME or FLEX, a resident may apply for a full individual license to practice medicine in Massachusetts. The full license requires a $360 fee and must be renewed on your first birthday occurring >90 days after receiving the license and every 2 years thereafter. Application forms for the full license may be obtained by writing:

Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
10 West Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02111

After all required materials are submitted to the state board, 2-3 months elapse before the license is received. A resident must possess a full license in order to:

1. Take the Pathology boards
2. Moonlight (which also requires departmental approval)

Travel Funds

Attendance at scientific meetings is encouraged. The Pathology Department is very generous in its support for meetings where you are presenting (either in poster or oral form). Questions concerning the level of support and how to ensure eligibility should be directed to the chief resident or Dr. Gayle Winters as they have recently been revamped and spending limits have increased.

Book and/or Computer Money

The department has recently revamped and increased the allowance each resident is allowed to spend on educationally related items. Current limits are $1,500 per resident to spend over their entire tenure. Questions about the details of the book allowance and how it can be spent should be directed to Dr. Gayle Winters.

American Board of Pathology Information Brochure

Applications to sit for the certifying examination must be completed at least one month prior to submission and presented to the Director of the Training Program (Dr. Sacks) for approval. All applications must be signed by the Director of the Training Program prior to submission to the Pathology Chair. A copy of the 2005 ABP information brochure is available in the CP Residents room. It lists certification requirements for AP, CP or both; offers information on how to apply for one year of credit based on a previous Ph.D. and a whole lot more.