Bill Text: CA AB2311 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Medicine: trainees: international medical graduates.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-07-20 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 144, Statutes of 2018. [AB2311 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB2311-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2311

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Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula

February 13, 2018

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An act to amend Section 2066.5 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2311, as introduced, Arambula. Medicine: trainees: international medical graduates.

The Medical Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California and imposes various requirements in that regard. Existing law requires an applicant for a license as a physician and surgeon to successfully complete a specified medical curriculum, a clinical instruction program, and a training program. Existing law provides that nothing in the Medical Practice Act shall be construed to prohibit a foreign medical graduate from engaging in the practice of medicine whenever and wherever required as part of a clinical service program, subject to certain conditions.

Existing law, until January 1, 2019, authorizes a clinical instruction pilot program for certain international medical graduates at the David Geffen School of Medicine of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as part of an existing preresidency training program, at the option of UCLA. Existing law requires the program to include specified elements relating to the qualifications of the program participants, the clinical instruction, and the training timeframe requirements. Under existing law, those international medical graduates (IMGs) selected for the program are authorized to receive hands-on clinical instruction in specified core courses of study.

This bill would eliminate the reference to the specific courses authorized to be offered to the IMG participants. The bill would also remove the repeal date of January 1, 2019, thereby extending the operation of these provisions indefinitely. The bill would additionally remove various references to the program operating as a pilot.

Existing law specifies that nothing in those provisions should be construed to alter the licensure requirements, and also provides that the board may consider participation in the clinical instruction of the program as remediation for medical education deficiencies, as specified. Existing law also requires UCLA, on or before January 1, 2018, to prepare a report for the board and the Legislature on topics related to the pilot program.

This bill would delete the above provisions.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 2066.5 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

2066.5.

 (a) The pilot program authorized by this section shall be known and may be cited as the University of California at Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine’s International Medical Graduate Pilot Program.

(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit a foreign medical graduate from engaging in the practice of medicine when required as part of the pilot program authorized by this section.

(c) There is currently a preresidency training program at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, hereafter referred to as UCLA, for selected international medical graduates (IMGs). Participation in the pilot program authorized by this section shall be at the option of UCLA. This section authorizes those IMGs, through the new pilot program authorized by this section, to receive, through the existing program, hands-on clinical instruction in the courses specified in subdivision (c) of Section 2089.5. instruction. The pilot program, as administered by UCLA, shall include all of the following elements:

(1) Each pilot program participant shall have done all of the following:

(A) Graduated from a medical school recognized by the Medical Board of California at the time of selection.

(B) Taken and passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination Steps 1 and 2 (Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Science).

(C) Submitted an application and materials to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

(2) A pilot program participant shall receive all clinical instruction at health care facilities operated by the University of California, Los Angeles, or other approved UCLA-designated teaching sites, which shall be hospitals or clinics with either a signed formal affiliation agreement with UCLA or a signed letter of agreement.

(3) Participation of a trainee in clinical instruction offered by the pilot program shall not generally exceed 16 weeks. However, at the discretion of UCLA, an additional eight weeks of clinical instruction may be granted. In no event shall a participant receive more than 24 weeks of clinical instruction under the pilot program.

(4) The clinical instruction shall be supervised by licensed physicians on faculty at UCLA or faculty affiliated with UCLA as specified in an approved affiliation agreement between UCLA and the affiliated entity.

(5) The clinical instruction shall be provided pursuant to written affiliation agreements for clinical instruction of trainees established by UCLA.

(6) The supervising faculty shall evaluate each participant on a regular basis and shall document the completion of each aspect of the clinical instruction portion of the program for each participant.

(d) UCLA shall provide the board with the names of the participants in the pilot program on an annual basis, or more frequently if necessary to maintain accuracy. Upon a reasonable request of the board, UCLA shall provide additional information such as the courses successfully completed by program participants, the dates of instruction, and other relevant information.

(e)Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter the requirements for licensure set forth in Sections 2089 and 2089.5. The board may consider participation in the clinical instruction portion of the pilot program as remediation for medical education deficiencies identified in a participant’s application for licensure or authorization for postgraduate training should such a deficiency apply to that applicant.

(f)On or before January 1, 2018, UCLA is requested to prepare a report for the board and the Legislature. Topics to be addressed in the report shall include the number of participants in the pilot program, the number of participants in the pilot program who were issued physician’s and surgeon’s certificates by the board, the number of participants who practice in designated medically underserved areas, and the potential for retention or expansion of the pilot program.

(g)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends that date.

SEC. 2.

 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program provides a unique medical training program, serving as a leading producer of Family Medicine physicians in California and serves a critical role in increasing the number of highly skilled physicians with the bicultural and bilingual abilities to meet the needs of patients in California’s underserved rural and inner urban communities.