Registering a supervising physician for an NCT will no longer be required.  However, an NCT will still need to obtain and maintain placement on the MRT Board’s general registry, or have an approved a hardship exemption, prior to starting practice.  

Not at this time.  If you are a Podiatric Medical Assistant who completed an alternate 20 hour radiology training course, you will need to be registered with Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) as a Podiatric Medical Radiological Technician.

Information is available on the TDLR website.

The NCT permit is no longer available.  In the 2017 legislative session, SB 674 changed the law so that the Texas Medical Board is no longer required to register NCTs who work for physicians.  What remains is the requirement that NCTs obtain placement on the MRT Board’s general registry, or have an approved a hardship exemption, prior to starting practice.

No. Texas law requires graduation from an accredited PA program for eligibility.

Yes, if you have requested and paid for one. The request is made by mailing in the Temporary License Affidavit with the $107 fee. A temporary license cannot be issued until all supporting documents for your online application have been received, and your file has been reviewed and determined complete by your assigned licensing analyst. The temporary license is considered a full and active license and will allow you to practice until your permanent license is issued. Permanent licenses are issued once a month.  Please see the License Issue Dates link to the left for more information.  

Texas requires physicians to professionally use the name under which they are licensed by the Texas Medical Board. Using any other name may confuse or mislead the public and could be considered by the Board to be unprofessional conduct. A physician who wishes to change his or her professional name must use the Application for Name Change.

A foreign education evaluation is one tool the board uses in evaluating the medical education of a physician applicant who attended a medical school located outside the United States. The board will accept evaluations from the Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA). The cost of the evaluation is borne by the applicant. Applicants can find the appropriate request form on our website at Supplemental Forms "Form N".

For information concerning practice opportunities in rural Texas please contact the State Office of Rural Health or the Southern Rural Access Program

We are legislatively mandated to process all physician licensure applications within an average of 51 days. The processing time clock begins when the applicant has submitted all initial requirements and the application has passed from Pre-Licensure to Licensing. A licensing analyst is then assigned to process the application. Individual application processing time will vary according to the complexity of the application. Factors that increase complexity are "yes" answers to any of the Professionalism questions on the application, or graduation from a medical school not listed on the Substantial Equivalence list. Once the licensing analyst determines the application is complete, the applicant is scheduled for licensure. Currently staff issues licenses twice a month.

Applicants who fall into one of the following categories may be eligible for expedited handling:

1. Physician applicants who agree to practice in a medically underserved area, a health professional shortage area, or a rural area;
2. Physician applicants qualifying under HB1504, who have been fully licensed and actively practicing in another state for at least 5 years, with no disciplinary history or open investigations;
3. Physician applicants who are in active military service, whose spouse is in active military service, or who are military veterans. (These individuals may also qualify for an application fee waiver)

Three, however, applicants who held a Texas Physician in Training permit on 9/1/05, or who have been licensed in good standing in another state for at least 5 years, and who have no restrictions, orders, or probation on any other state medical licenses, are eligible for exceptions to the three attempt exam limit.  Please see the eligibility checklist for details regarding exceptions.

There are two reasons your school might not be on the list: 1) the Texas Medical Board has never licensed a graduate of your school before; or, 2) the Texas Medical Board more thoroughly investigates the education of graduates of your school. If your school is not listed the board will require additional documentation from you, your school, and some government entities in the country in which your school is located. Licensure Forms Z1-Z7, contain the details of the additional information the board requires.

The Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) is a service created by the Federation of State Medical Boards to streamline the credentialing and licensing process. FCVS is not a requirement for Texas licensure and is in no way a guarantee of licensure or of an expedited application process in Texas. FCVS will be of the greatest benefit to an applicant who is applying from a school that will not issue multiple sets of documents or will be applying to several other states in addition to Texas. The Federation of State Medical Boards collects information regarding an applicant's identity, medical education, postgraduate training, licensure examination history, ECFMG certification, and board action history. This information is verified by the FCVS and maintained as a primary source record of a physician's credentials. FCVS will send a standard portfolio to state boards, hospitals, managed care plans, or professional societies at the applicant's request. Please note that the Texas Medical Board may require additional documentation in place of or in addition to the documentation provided within the FCVS packet. Please contact the Federation of State Medical Boards directly concerning service fees and processing times.

For information on how to register for USMLE Step 3 contact the Federation of State Medical Boards.

For information on how to register for COMLEX Level 3 contact the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners.