Permanent licenses are issued once a month.  Please refer to the License Issue Dates link on the left for detailed information on the scheduled licensing dates and deadlines.

No, neither the Medical Practice Act nor the Nursing Practice Act authorize independent practice by a CRNA.  Additionally, Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0266 found “A certified registered nurse anesthetist does not possess independent authority to administer anesthesia without delegation by a physician.” (Page 5). Since the selection and administration of anesthesia is a medical act, CRNAs must be properly delegated this act by a physician.  A CRNA who administers anesthesia without proper delegation from a physician would be liable for the unlicensed practice of medicine. 

As a prerequisite to the registration of a surgical assistant's license, 18 hours of continuing education are required every 12 months, with at least half being Category I.  That is 36 hours of CE every 24 months (24 month timeline is in relation to the biennial registration period, not the calendar year).

To return to practice from retired status, a physician must obtain approval of the Board after submitting a written request.  If a physician has been on official retired status for two years or longer, the request must be reviewed by the Licensure Committee of the Board.  Please contact the Registration department for information on the approval procedure.

Yes, if you are a physician or a physician assistant. 

Physicians are required to register all PAs and APRNs that they supervise prior to the delegates beginning to work for them.  If there is a change to the scope of the delegation, physicians must notify the Board within 30 days of this change.

PAs are likewise required to register their supervising physicians with the Board prior to beginning to practice under the employment or prescriptive authority agreement.  They are also required to notify the Board within 30 days of any change to the scope of the delegation. 

APRNs should look to guidance provided by the Texas Board of Nursing for how to register their delegating physicians, as the Medical Board does not have licensing authority for nurses.

To return to practice from retired status, a physician must submit an application online for re-activation/re-licensure and meet all of the current requirements for licensure. 

As with all medical records documentation, the notation must be contemporaneous, legible and provide complete information.  In this case, complete information would include the date of the review and the identity of the provider who reviewed the information.

Currently, each individual physician who needs a waiver will have to apply for their own individual waiver. Although this may change in the future, TMB is currently unable to track waivers by group.      

 If a physician has a waiver from e-prescribing, it is viewable on their public profile page, under the section entitled “Verified Information.”   If you want to verify that a PA or nurse practitioner has a waiver, you will have to look at the delegating physician’s public profile.  You can look up a prescriber’s public profile here: Look up a License

NOTE: Per the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, a “pharmacist is not responsible for ensuring there is a waiver. In addition, there is no requirement of the pharmacist to ensure an appropriate waiver is granted.”

Please note that the fingerprint background check results will be required prior to a license being able to access the online registration system.  While processing times vary (average turnaround time is less than 10 business days), please note it can take 4-6 weeks for hard card submissions.  If you believe that you should be able to access the online registration system, and you are not able to, please contact us a Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us.

Per Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 50.12, FBI fingerprinting reports are only allowed to be used for the purposes requested. Therefore, we are not able to access fingerprint results that were submitted to another agency. If you have been previously fingerprinted for another license or by another agency, we apologize for the inconvenience; however you will still be required to submit the fingerprint criminal history background prior to the next registration/renewal of your license.

Yes, you can complete the fingerprint requirement at any point prior to your license expiration date. You do not need to wait for your expiration date. If you wish to submit your fingerprints early, please contact us at Registrations@tmb.state.tx.us and request your 6 digit ID number and instructions for your fingerprint submission.

*Please note that completing your fingerprints prior to your renewal period will NOT enable you to renew your license early. Your registration window will only open within 60-90 days of your license expiration date.

The Board understands that medical or mental health treatment is a normal part of many people's lives and receiving treatment such as counseling or therapy does not alone disqualify a licensee.  However, the Board is obligated to determine whether a licensee is physically and mentally fit to practice and, therefore, must inquire to the extent necessary to make this determination.  While the application does include a question pertaining to impairment, the question has been thoughtfully written to limit overly broad probing language that might dissuade health professionals from seeking treatment and reporting their conditions.

The Board understands that medical or mental health treatment is a normal part of many people's lives and receiving treatment such as counseling or therapy does not alone disqualify a licensee.  However, the Board is obligated to determine whether a licensee is physically and mentally fit to practice and, therefore, must inquire to the extent necessary to make this determination.  While the renewal process does include a question pertaining to impairment, the question has been thoughtfully written to limit overly broad probing language that might dissuade health professionals from seeking treatment and reporting their conditions.