Initial License

The basic requirements are that an applicant:

     1) Has submitted a current Initial License Application and paid the $400 application fee,
     2) Is a legal resident of the United States,
     3) Graduated from an AOA-approved osteopathic medical school,
     4) Successfully completed an ACGME or AOA accredited internship or PGY-1 of a multiple year residency,
     5) Passed all three parts of a board-approved national licensing exam such as NBOME, COMLEX or USMLE,
     6) Is physically, mentally and emotionally able to practice medicine,
     7) Has no history of unprofessional or criminal conduct as defined in A.R.S. § 32-1854 or is rehabilitated from such conduct, and
     8) Has submitted a full set of fingerprints and $50.00 fee.
     

For specific requirements, refer to the statutes and rules on the Board’s website, www.azdo.gov.

Yes. Effective September 1, 2017, the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners requires fingerprinting for the Initial License Application. For more information, please see the Fingerprinting FAQ on the website at Licensure / Licensing / License Process, FAQ tab, scroll to the Fingerprinting Background Check group.

Yes, successful completion of an internship or the first postgraduate training year (PGY-1) of either an AOA or ACGME approved residency in any specialty meets the PGY-1 or intern year requirement for licensure. Successful completion is determined by verification received from the training program’s director.

No. License applications require notarization. The original notarized document must be mailed or delivered to the Board office. Copies, including those sent by fax or email, will not be processed.

No. When we request a copy of a document, notarization or certification is not required and an original is not necessary. A document copy may be a piece of paper you mail, or a digital copy from a scanner or cell phone and sent by email or fax. You may send verification forms 1, 2 and 3 to appropriate entities by fax and email. The verifier may return completed verifications to the Board by fax or email as well. However, for faxes, a coversheet bearing the facility’s logo or letterhead is necessary to confirm the sender is the same as the verifier. As long as the sender can be confirmed, the copy is as valid as the original.

However, we cannot accept copies of COMLEX or USMLE transcripts, or copies of documents with a notarial certificate.

If you answer No to question 4 in Section 9, you do not need to submit this form. If you were sued and the case was concluded with no settlement made on your behalf, you do not need to submit this form. If you were sued and the case is still pending, you must answer Yes to question 4 in Section 9.

If you answer Yes to question 4 in Section 9, you need to complete this form. This form should be used as a coversheet for each settlement made on your behalf or for any pending cases. Along with the form, you must submit a narrative in your own words regarding the event and your part in the patient’s care, a copy of the Complaint filed with the court, the settlement document (if applicable), and your licensing Board’s disposition of the complaint if the settlement case was reviewed by a licensing Board. Do not submit the NPDB report in lieu of the above.

You need to submit a detailed narrative in your own words of the circumstances surrounding the charge and/or arrest and the outcome. A narrative is NOT sufficient if it only contains one or two sentences stating that you were convicted of a specific misdemeanor or felony and all terms were completed. You will also need to submit or have submitted a certified copy of any and all law enforcement records and a certified copy of all court records. A court docket is NOT all of the court records. You will need to contact the law enforcement agency and the court for instructions for requesting a certified copy. If the records no longer exist, a letter (or email) from law enforcement or from the court stating the records no longer exist and why, if applicable, must be received by licensing staff.

The Board considers "re-entering practice" to mean those physicians who held a license and practiced clinical medicine previously but are not licensed and are not practicing medicine at the time of their application to the Arizona Osteopathic Board. It also includes those physicians who are licensed elsewhere but have not practiced clinical medicine for more than two (2) years.

Re-entry procedures have been adopted by the Board. You can read these on our website on this page on the Info Doc(s) tab document titled "Application Procedures for Doctors Re-Entering Practice".

The Osteopathic Board does not have “reactivation”. You will need to re-apply for licensure using the Initial License Application. If it has been more than five years since your license expired, your file was most likely purged. You will need to have all education, training, state licenses and practice experience re-verified. Download and follow all the application instructions. If your previous Arizona license was issued in the last five years, call the licensing division to confirm if any documents are applicable to your new license application.

Yes, at the following stages in the application process:

    a. you will be sent an email when the application has been received;
    b. if your application is administratively incomplete, you will be notified in writing by email what documents have not yet been received;
    c. after 30 days of receipt of your application, you may email or call the Board to check on the status of your application;
    d. if there are issues about your qualifications, or if you are required to appear before the Board, you will be notified in writing by mail; or
    e. If your application is approved, the Request for Issuance of License form will be sent with the approval letter to you by email and regular mail.

Yes, if you provide the name of a person or facility in Section 2 of the application (page 2), you authorize that individual to receive information on the status of your application. Please see the section on Alternate Contacts, below, for further information.

Yes, on a limited basis. This is how the Board views an alternate contact’s role in the application process:

• The application for licensure is between the applicant and the Board of Osteopathic Examiners, and thus you are the person to whom we address all questions, answers and correspondence.
• Your alternate contact will be copied on all correspondence sent to you (by email, fax or mail).
• We will answer the alternate contact’s questions about the status of your application, whether documents and verifications have been received, and questions regarding defunct facilities.
• If your alternate contact asks a question on your behalf other than the status of your application, the answer will be sent to you, and your alternate contact will be copied.
• If we request additional or corrected documentation, you must sign and date your response. Your alternate contact may forward it to us, but that person cannot act independently on your behalf.
• If your alternate contact receives and forwards verifications to the Board, we cannot accept them. If this occurs, you will be responsible for obtaining new verifications and having it sent directly to the Board, which will delay the processing of your application. In order to maintain verification integrity, Verifications must be sent directly to the Board from the primary source.

No, it is not. We cannot process an application for a physician with whom we cannot communicate. The first page of the application requires the applicant’s home or practice address, the applicant’s daytime phone number such as a cell phone number, and the applicant’s email address. If we receive an application which does not have your contact information it will delay the processing of your application. An email address to which you have access is essential as most correspondence with the Board’s licensing division is via email. Section 2 is for your alternate contact’s information.

You, the applicant, may change or add an alternate contact by sending an email to the licensing division requesting the change or addition. Include the new alternate contact’s first and last name and email address. We will not accept a request to change the alternate contact from a third party. The request must come directly from you in order to be valid. If your alternate contact has changed, you must give us the name and email address of your new alternate contact before we can communicate with him/her about your application.

No, Section 2 specifies one alternative contact. You may select who that alternative contact is and follow the procedure to change a contact.

The application fee is $400 which must accompany the application. At this time, the cost of the background check is $50.00. If your application is approved, a licensing issuance fee will apply. More detailed information can be found on our website on this page on the Info Doc(s) tab document titled "The Cost of Licensure in Arizona".

Fees are non-refundable.

It depends on when you request issuance. The fee ranges from $180.00 in January to $60.00 in September. Starting in February the fee reduces $15.00 per month until October. This pays only for the months you are licensed for your first year. You will need to renew your license December 31st the same year your license was issued if you request issuance prior to October.

For administrative purposes, the issuance fee for the months of October, November and December are $180.00 (same as January) and the “Renew By Date” is extended to December 31st of the next calendar year.

Fees are non-refundable. If/when your application is approved, you can choose not to request the issuance of the license and allow your application to lapse without penalty.

Initial license applicants who are applying for a license for the first time whose family income does not exceed two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines may apply for a fee waiver. For those first-time applicants seeking the fee waiver in Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) § 41-1080.01, please draft a written request and email it directly to the Executive Director at [email protected].

On average, it takes at least 60 to 90 days to collect all of the supporting documentation needed to complete your application. After all the documents have been collected during administrative review, your application moves to substantive review, which is conducted by the Executive Director. The Executive Director reviews your application to determine if you meet statutory qualifications for licensure. If there is any question about your qualifications, you may be required to appear before the Board for an interview to determine whether you meet Arizona requirements. The time period for the Executive Director and Board review of your qualifications ranges from 1 - 90 days for the entire substantive review.

You should expect the application process to take AT LEAST THREE (3) months. Applications with YES answers in the professional conduct history sections or YES answers on verification(s) should expect that the process may be extended an additional three (3) months once the application is administratively complete. Please factor this time into your plans.

You, the applicant, can expedite the administrative review of the application in several ways:

1. Follow the instructions carefully when completing the application. Incorrect or incomplete information will cause delays.
2. Submit verifications to the appropriate entities before submitting the license application. Some applicants provide pre-paid delivery service envelopes to verifiers to expedite delivery and for tracking purposes. Other applicants provide the Board’s fax number and email address to verifiers since verifications (other than medical licensure exam transcripts) can be received by fax or email.
   • Make sure the verifier knows to use a coversheet bearing the facility’s logo or letterhead when faxing verification to the Board’s office. If the sender cannot be proven, verification cannot be accepted.
   • Follow up with verifiers to make sure verifications are sent in a timely manner.
3. Request an update on the application no more frequently than once a week, preferably by email.

Yes. We will accept a fax as long as the verification is accompanied by a coversheet bearing the facility’s logo or letterhead or if the fax number and/or facility name generated by the fax machine is at the top of the verification and matches the fax number in the verifier’s contact information. We will accept emailed verifications as long as proof exists that it was sent by the verifying entity such as the email address of the sender and/or the sender’s signature block in the body of the email.

Yes, you need to have an original transcript mailed to the Board (no copies, faxes or scans accepted). COMLEX is given by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). USMLE is given by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). You only need to order one (1) exam transcript from either NBOME or NBME that demonstrates you passed all three (3) Levels (COMLEX) or Steps (USMLE). You are responsible for paying the fee for the transcript. It must be sent from either NBOME or NBME directly to the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners.

No. If they are sent to you and you send them to us, we will not accept them. Processing your application will be delayed and you will be required to order (and pay for) a new transcript. The original transcript of your exam scores is considered verification.

If verifications come through a third party, including the applicant, it is not considered to have been received from the verifying entity and, therefore, is not valid. The only trusted secondary sources for verifications are the FSMB’s Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) and AOiA’s verification of a defunct postgraduate training (PGT) program for which no other records exist. AOiA cannot verify exam scores.

To maintain the integrity of the verification, it MUST be sent from the verifying entity directly to the Board office.

FCVS may verify your medical education, postgraduate training and medical licensing exam scores. If you use FCVS and any medical education and training verifications are not included, you will be required to obtain these using the forms in your application packet. Their website is http://www.fsmb.org/licensure/fcvs/. You are responsible for paying any fees involved with using FCVS.

The Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners does not recognize FCVS as verification for state licenses.

These are verification forms you need to submit to the appropriate entities. Sign the top of the form – this authorizes the entity to release information to the Board. You may send each signed form by fax, email, mail, or delivery service to the appropriate entities. The verifier may return the form to this Board by fax, email, mail, or delivery service.

• Form 1: Professional Education Verification is used to verify that you graduated from your College of Osteopathic Medicine. Submit it to your registrar’s office for completion. The Board does not recognize National Clearinghouse as official verification of graduation. You are not required to submit form 1 if you contact our college of Osteopathic Medicine and have them submit a transcript directly to the Board office. Please note From 1 should be used an alternative in obtaining Professional Education Verification. The Board’s recommended path is to obtain transcripts directly from the college.
• Form 2: Verification of Postgraduate Training is used to verify all of your postgraduate training, regardless of completion. Make as many copies as needed. Sign the top portion and submit it to the program director’s office for completion.
• Form 3: Practice Experience Verification is used to verify your practice history for the last seven (7) years. If you are still in residency this will only apply to you if you have moonlighted – practiced under a full license and outside of your program’s supervision. If you have no practice history to verify, you do not need to send the form with your application packet. We will not expect to receive Form 3 verifications for you if you wrote “n/a” in Section 8 of the application.

Each state has its own process and procedure for verifying licenses so we do not include a form. Contact the state board(s) where you are licensed, regardless of the status of the license. Follow their instructions for requesting verification of your license and disciplinary history. They must send verification of your license and disciplinary history to the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery. You are responsible for any fees.

Some states contract with VeriDoc for this service. We accept verifications sent by VeriDoc and those sent by email from other state boards. Indiana’s digital certification does not meet requirements for verification of licensure since it does not include disciplinary history. For Nebraska and Kentucky, Arizona’s licensing division will download official verification directly from their websites.

Online license profiles, FCVS, wallet cards or license certificates are not recognized by this Board as official verification of licensure and disciplinary history.

Yes. It may even speed up the application process. Any supporting documents that arrive at the Board office prior to your application, including FCVS packets, will be held for one (1) year. These will be matched up with your application when it arrives. However, if the application is not received or remains incomplete for more than six (6) months, verifications for PGT programs in progress, all state licenses and current practice experience may need to be re-verified.

An initial license is valid from the date of issuance displayed on your License Certificate. If the license was issued between January 1 and September 30, the license is valid until December 31 of the calendar year in which it was issued. Due to administrative needs, if a license is issued between October 1 and December 31, the license is valid until December 31 of the next calendar year. We refer to this date as the “renew by date” although, technically, it is your expiration date. However, under Arizona law, there is an automatic grace period of four (4) months (until May 1) before your license officially expires. A late fee applies if you renew your license on or after February 1.

For more information about renewals, please see the License Renewal and CME FAQ on the website at Licensure / Renewal, FAQ tab

No. You will be sent the Request for Issuance of License form AFTER your application has been approved. This form is not available on the website. You have 90 days from your approval date to accept and pay for your license.

There is a prorated fee table on the issuance form. You will be charged the fee which corresponds with the month the Board receives your request for issuance of your license. Within three (3) business days of receiving the Request for Issuance form and fee, your payment will be processed and your license issued, effective the date we receive your request. You can check on the status of your license after it is issued by going to www.azdo.gov > Doctor Search and performing a license search on your last name. Your web profile only appears after the license is issued.

No, Arizona does not require a separate license for prescribing. Your full license grants you the privilege to practice medicine including prescribing. However, you must register with the DEA to prescribe controlled substances.

No, you will need to contact the DEA at (602) 664-5831 or visit the DEA Diversion Control Division’s website.

No. It cannot be provided beforehand. You are assigned a license number when the license is issued.

It depends. If you only write prescriptions for patients to fill elsewhere and give out samples, you do NOT need to register. You only need to register if you are dispensing medications (other than samples) from your office. “Dispensing” means keeping a supply of drugs and devices at your office and filling the prescription at your office. In essence, if you are running a pharmacy within your practice, you must register to dispense. The Initial Registration to Dispense Medication form may be downloaded from our website at www.azdo.gov >For DOs>Dispensing Initial Registration Form.