(1) A medical faculty certificate may be issued without examination to an individual who:

(a) Is a graduate of an accredited medical school or its equivalent, or is a graduate of a foreign medical school listed with the World Health Organization;

(b) Holds a valid, current license to practice medicine in another jurisdiction;

(c) Has completed the application form and remitted a nonrefundable application fee not to exceed $500;

(d) Has completed an approved residency or fellowship of at least 1 year or has received training which has been determined by the board to be equivalent to the 1-year residency requirement;

(e) Is at least 21 years of age;

(f) Is of good moral character;

(g) Has not committed any act in this or any other jurisdiction which would constitute the basis for disciplining a physician under s. 458.331;

(h) For any applicant who has graduated from medical school after October 1, 1992, has completed, before entering medical school, the equivalent of 2 academic years of preprofessional, postsecondary education, as determined by rule of the board, which must include, at a minimum, courses in such fields as anatomy, biology, and chemistry; and

(i) Has been offered and has accepted a full-time faculty appointment to teach in a program of medicine at:

1. The University of Florida;

2. The University of Miami;

3. The University of South Florida;

4. The Florida State University;

5. The Florida International University;

6. The University of Central Florida;

7. The Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Jacksonville, Florida;

8. The Florida Atlantic University; or

9. The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

(2) The certificate authorizes the holder to practice only in conjunction with his or her faculty position at an accredited medical school and its affiliated clinical facilities or teaching hospitals that are registered with the Board of Medicine as sites at which holders of medical faculty certificates will be practicing, or a specialty-licensed children’s hospital licensed under chapter 395 that is affiliated with an accredited medical school and its affiliated clinics. Such certificate automatically expires when the holder’s relationship with the medical school is terminated or after a period of 24 months, whichever occurs sooner, and is renewable every 2 years by a holder who applies to the board on a form prescribed by the board and provides certification by the dean of the medical school that the holder is a distinguished medical scholar and an outstanding practicing physician.

(3) The holder of a medical faculty certificate issued under this section has all rights and responsibilities prescribed by law for the holder of a license issued under s. 458.311, except as specifically provided otherwise by law. Such responsibilities include compliance with continuing medical education requirements as set forth by rule of the board. A hospital or ambulatory surgical center licensed under chapter 395, health maintenance organization certified under chapter 641, insurer as defined in s. 624.03, multiple-employer welfare arrangement as defined in s. 624.437, or any other entity in this state, in considering and acting upon an application for staff membership, clinical privileges, or other credentials as a health care provider, may not deny the application of an otherwise qualified physician for such staff membership, clinical privileges, or other credentials solely because the applicant is a holder of a medical faculty certificate under this section.

(4) In any year, the maximum number of extended medical faculty certificateholders as provided in subsection (2) may not exceed 30 persons at each institution named in subparagraphs (1)(i)1.-6., 8., and 9. and at the facility named in s. 1004.43 and may not exceed 10 persons at the institution named in subparagraph (1)(i)7.

(5) Annual review of all such certificate recipients will be made by the deans of the accredited 4-year medical schools provided in paragraph (1)(i) and reported to the Board of Medicine.

(6) Notwithstanding subsection (1), any physician, when providing medical care or treatment in connection with the education of students, residents, or faculty at the request of the dean of an accredited medical school within this state or at the request of the medical director of a statutory teaching hospital as defined in s. 408.07 or a specialty-licensed children’s hospital licensed under chapter 395 that is affiliated with an accredited medical school and its affiliated clinics, may do so upon registration with the board and demonstration of financial responsibility pursuant to s. 458.320(1) or (2) unless such physician is exempt under s. 458.320(5)(a). The performance of such medical care or treatment must be limited to a single period of time, which may not exceed 180 consecutive days, and must be rendered within a facility registered under subsection (2) or within a statutory teaching hospital as defined in s. 408.07. A registration fee not to exceed $300, as set by the board, is required of each physician registered under this subsection. However, no more than three physicians per year per institution may be registered under this subsection, and an exemption under this subsection may not be granted to a physician more than once in any given 5-year period.

History.—ss. 9, 26, ch. 86-245; s. 1, ch. 88-218; s. 15, ch. 88-392; s. 1, ch. 90-30; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 79, ch. 92-149; s. 1, ch. 95-208; ss. 9, 10, ch. 96-309; s. 50, ch. 97-98; s. 1088, ch. 97-103; s. 37, ch. 2000-318; s. 1011, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2008-58; s. 1, ch. 2009-107; s. 1, ch. 2016-54; s. 3, ch. 2017-50.