SB155 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

April WeaverSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to the Board of Medical Examiners; to amend Sections 34-24-50.1 and 34-24-70, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide further for qualifications for licensure as a physician; and to add Section 34-24-75.2 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to authorize the board to issue permits for certain medical school graduates to practice medicine in a limited capacity for a limited time as bridge year graduate physicians.

Summary

SB155 relaxes physician licensure rules in Alabama and creates a bridge-year permit program allowing limited supervised practice for certain medical school graduates.

What This Bill Does

It lowers the required postgraduate training from three years to two years for graduates from non-accredited medical schools. It also removes the 10-year window that previously required passing certain licensure exams within a specific time frame. The bill authorizes the Board of Medical Examiners to issue bridge-year permits that let some medical school graduates practice under supervision for up to one year, with a possible one-year renewal, and to prescribe and administer certain legend drugs under board-approved conditions. It also creates a standing working group to develop rules for bridge-year practice and requires background checks, fees, supervision standards, and end-of-bridge-year reporting.

Who It Affects

• Graduates from medical schools not accredited by LCME or COCA who seek licensure in Alabama; they would face a two-year postgraduate training requirement instead of three.
• Applicants for medical licensure who previously were limited by a 10-year exam-passage rule; the specific 10-year window is removed, though exam requirements still apply.
• Bridge-year graduate physicians—new category of limited, supervised practitioners who can work for up to two years (one year, with a possible one-year renewal) under a supervising physician.
• Supervising physicians and healthcare facilities; they must provide on-site supervision and oversee the bridge-year physicians according to board rules.
• The Board of Medical Examiners and state agencies (SBI/FBI) due to new background-check requirements and ongoing rulemaking.
• Patients treated by bridge-year graduate physicians, who would be served under a limited, supervised framework with formulary-restricted prescribing.
• Applicants seeking licensure must undergo fingerprint-based background checks and pay associated fees.

Key Provisions

• Postgraduate education requirement for non-accredited medical graduates reduced from three years to two years.
• Elimination of the 10-year window requiring passing certain licensure examinations before licensure; exam requirements remain, but the 10-year rule is removed.
• Creation of a bridge year graduate physician permit: allows limited practice under supervision for one year, renewable for one additional year.
• Bridge-year participation criteria: graduate of a board-approved medical school, applied for residency but not accepted, submission of an approved application form, and payment of nonrefundable fees; background checks required.
• Bridge-year supervision: must be supervised by a licensed physician; board may set on-site supervision and other supervisory requirements.
• Prescribing authority for bridge-year physicians: may prescribe/dispense/administer certain legend drugs only under a board-approved formulary and supervised job description; no call-in prescriptions without supervising physician's written or signed verbal order.
• End-of-bridge-year reporting: supervising physician must report on practice scope, training given, and whether the bridge-year physician would be recommended for residency upon reapplication.
• Bridge-year permits are non-licensure; they can be denied, suspended, terminated, or revoked under the board’s rules; renewals and penalties follow existing board procedures.
• Administrative and background-check processes: fingerprints, SBI/FBI checks, and related costs are borne by the applicant; information is kept confidential except as needed to support denial or other actions.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.