{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-311.571","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 311.571","heading":"Qualifications for licenses -- Exception in extraordinary circumstances.","body":"(1) An applicant who is a graduate of a medical or osteopathic school located within\nthe United States and its territories and protectorates or Canada shall not be eli gible\nfor a regular license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth unless the\napplicant:\n(a) Is able to understandably speak, read, and write the English language;\n(b) Has graduated from an accredited college or university or has satisfactorily\ncompleted a collegiate course of study necessary for entry into an approved\nmedical or osteopathic school or college;\n(c) Has graduated from a prescribed course of instruction in a medical or\nosteopathic school or college situated in the United States or Canada and\napproved by the board;\n(d) Has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of a\nduration to be established by the board in an administrative regulation\npromulgated in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A, after consultation with the\nUniversity of Kentucky College of Medicine, the University of Louisville\nSchool of Medicine, and the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic\nMedicine;\n(e) Has successfully completed an examination prescribed by the board; and\n(f) Has fulfilled all other rea sonable qualifications for regular licensure that the\nboard may require by administrative regulations promulgated in accordance\nwith KRS Chapter 13A.\n(2) An applicant who is a graduate of a medical or osteopathic school located outside\nthe United States or  Canada shall not be eligible for a regular license to practice\nmedicine in the Commonwealth unless the applicant:\n(a) Is able to understandably speak, read, and write the English language;\n(b) Has successfully completed a course of study necessary for ent ry into an\napproved medical or osteopathic school or college;\n(c) Has graduated from a prescribed course of instruction in a medical or\nosteopathic school or college situated outside the United States or Canada and\napproved by the board or is a citizen of the United States and has been\nawarded a diploma by an approved me dical or osteopathic school located\nwithin the United States or Canada as part of a program designed to allow for\nthe transfer of students to such schools from schools located outside the\nUnited States or Canada;\n(d) Has successfully completed an examination prescribed by the board;\n(e) Has been certified by the educational commission for foreign medical\ngraduates or by an approved United States specialty board;\n(f) Has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of a\nduration to b e established by the board in an administrative regulation\npromulgated in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A, after consultation with the\nUniversity of Kentucky College of Medicine, the University of Louisville\nSchool of Medicine, and the Pikeville College Sc hool of Osteopathic\nMedicine; and\n(g) Has fulfilled all other reasonable qualifications for regular licensure that the\nboard may require by administrative regulations promulgated in accordance\nwith KRS Chapter 13A.\n(3) An applicant shall not be eligible fo r a limited license -institutional practice unless\nthe applicant:\n(a) Has fulfilled all the requirements for regular licensure as delineated in\nsubsection (1) of this section; or\n(b) Has fulfilled the requirements for regular licensure as delineated in subs ection\n(2)(a) to (e) and (g) of this section and in addition has satisfactorily completed\na prescribed course of postgraduate training of at least one (1) full year's\nduration approved by the board; and\n(c) Has fulfilled all other reasonable qualifications  for limited licensure that the\nboard may require by administrative regulations promulgated in accordance\nwith KRS Chapter 13A.\n(4) The board may grant an applicant a limited license -institutional practice for a\nrenewable period of one (1) year if the applicant:\n(a) Has fulfilled the requirements for regular licensure as delineated in subsection\n(2)(a), (b), (d), (e), and (g) of this section;\n(b) Has fulfilled the requirements for a limited license -institutional practice as\nindicated in subsection (3)(c) of this section; and\n(c) Has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of at\nleast one (1) full year's duration approved by the board.\n(5) The board may grant an applicant a fellowship training license for a renewable\nperiod of one (1) year if the applicant:\n(a) Has been accepted for a fellowship approved by the administration of any of\nKentucky's medical schools and conducted under the auspices of that medical\nschool; or\n(b) Has graduated from a medical school located outside the United States or\nCanada that has been approved by the board, and:\n1. Has been certified by the appropriate licensing authority in his or her\nhome country in the subject specialty of the fellowship; and\n2. Is able to demonstrate that he or she is a physician of good character and\nis in good standing in the country where he or she normally practices\nmedicine.\n(6) (a) The board may grant an applicant a special faculty license for a renewable\nperiod of one (1) year if the applicant:\n1. Holds or has been offered  a full -time faculty appointment at an\naccredited Kentucky medical or osteopathic school approved by the\nboard and is nominated for a special faculty license by the dean of the\nschool of medicine or school of osteopathy;\n2. Possesses a current valid licens e to practice medicine or osteopathy\nissued by another state, country, or other jurisdiction;\n3. Is able to understandably speak, read, and write the English language;\n4. Is board certified in his or her specialty;\n5. Is not otherwise eligible for a regular license under this chapter; and\n6. Is not subject to denial of a license under any provision of this chapter.\n(b) The applicant shall submit the fee established by administrative regulation\npromulgated in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A by the board for an initial\nlicense to practice medicine.\n(c) An applicant approved for a license under this subsection shall not eng age in\nthe practice of medicine or osteopathy outside an accredited medical school\nprogram or osteopathic school program and any affiliated institution or\nprogram for which the medical school or osteopathic school has assumed\ndirect responsibility.\n(d) The board may grant a regular license to practice medicine or osteopathy to a\nperson who has had a special faculty license for a period of at least five (5)\nconsecutive years.\n(7) An applicant seeking regular licensure in the Commonwealth who was originally\nlicensed in another state may obtain licensure in the Commonwealth without further\ntesting and training if the applicant:\n(a) Has been endorsed in writing by the applicant's original licensing state as\nbeing licensed in good standing in that state; and\n(b) Would have satisfied all the requirements for regular licensure described in\nthe preceding subsections had the applicant sought original licensure in this\nstate.\n(8) An applicant shall be eligible for a provisional license if the applicant has:\n(a) Fulfilled:\n1. The requirements for regular licensure in subsection (1)(a), (b), (c), and\n(e) of this section; or\n2. The requirements for regular licensure in subsection (2)(a), (b), (c), (d),\nand (e) of this section;\n(b) An offer for employment as a physician with a sponsor that is:\n1. A professional practice, healthcare entity, or corporation that operates\nand is licensed or authorized to provide healthcare in the\nCommonwealth; and\n2. Located in a medically underserved area as defined by the secretary of\nthe United States Department of Health and Human Services;\n(c) Good standing or authorization to practice medicine with the medical\nlicensing or regulatory institution of his or her licensing country within the\nlast five (5) years;\n(d) Completed a residency or sub stantially similar postgraduate medical training;\nand\n(e) Practiced as a medical professional performing the duties of a physician in his\nor her licensing country for no less than five (5) years.\n(9) A provisional license granted under subsection (8) of th is section shall\nautomatically be converted into a regular license to practice medicine in the\nCommonwealth after three (3) years with the employing sponsor.\n(10) A provisional licensee whose license has been converted to a regular license to\npractice medicine shall not be required to maintain employment with the original\nemploying sponsor at the conclusion of provisional licensing period.\n(11) The board may revoke a provisional license granted under subsection (8) of this\nsection if:\n(a) The provisional licensee is not employed with a sponsor that is a professional\npractice, healthcare entity, or corporation that operates and is licensed or\nauthorized to provide healthcare in the Commonwealth during the three (3)\nyear provisional period; or\n(b) The provisio nal licensee has engaged in unacceptable conduct under KRS\n311.595 or 311.597.\n(12) An applicant shall not be granted licensure in the Commonwealth unless the\napplicant has successfully completed an examination prescribed by the board in\naccordance with an y requirements the board may establish by administrative\nregulation in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A concerning passing scores, testing\nopportunities and test score recognition.\n(13) Notwithstanding any of the requirements for licensure established in subsections (1)\nto (12) of this section and after providing the applicant or reregistrant with\nreasonable notice of its intended action and after providing a reasonable opportunity\nto be heard, the board may deny licensure to an applicant or the reregistrant  of an\ninactive license without a prior evidentiary hearing upon a finding that the applicant\nor reregistrant has violated any provision of KRS 311.595 or 311.597 or is\notherwise unfit to practice. Orders denying licensure may be appealed pursuant to\nKRS 311.593.\n(14) Notwithstanding any provision of subsections (1) to (12) of this section, the board\nmay grant licensure to an applicant in extraordinary circumstances upon a finding\nby the board that based on the applicant's exceptional education, training, a nd\npractice credentials, the applicant's practice in the Commonwealth would be\nbeneficial to the public welfare.\n(15) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the board may exercise its discretion\nto grant a visiting professor license to an applicant after considering the following:\n(a) Whether the applicant meets the qualifications for a regular license;\n(b) Whether the applicant is licensed to practice medicine in other states or in\nother countries; and\n(c) The recommendation of the program director of an accredited medical school\nthat confirms the applicant's employment as a visiting professor and that\nincludes, if necessary, written justification for a waiver of the requirements\nspecified in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.\nOrders denying applications for a visiting professor license shall not be appealed\nunder KRS 311.593.","path":["KRS Chapter 311"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57556","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:58:04Z","sha256":"ec3a52e42f3ef4086cdd0f9c5756be1f236ab517c56c3b8abd22d4337d33cd58","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-311.570","next":"us-ky/krs-311.572"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}