BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1410
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Date of Hearing: August 4, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 1410 (Cedillo) - As Amended: June 23, 2010
Policy Committee: Business &
Professions Vote: 11-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill modifies requirements related to physician and surgeon
testing for Step III of the United States Medical Licensing
Examination (USMLE Step III). Specifically, this bill:
1)Deletes the requirement to pass Step III in four or fewer
attempts. Deletes the alternative path to licensure following
passing Step III after more than four test taking attempts.
2)Requires the Medical Board of California to adopt a resolution
at a public meeting regarding changes to what is established
as a Step III passing score. Requires a passing score to be
expressed as a numerical score, not as a percentage of correct
answers.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor absorbable workload to the Medical Board of California to
comply with the requirements of this bill.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill modifies requirements for licensure of
physicians and surgeons related to the USMLE Step III
examination. This bill deletes requirements established by AB
1796 (Bermudez), Chapter 843, Statutes of 2006. This bill
increases the flexibility provided to applicants for medical
licensure.
2)Background . The USMLE is sponsored by the Federation of State
Medical Boards of the United States and the National Board of
SB 1410
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Medical Examiners to assess knowledge, concepts, and
principles, and patient-centered skills that establish safe
and effective patient care. Each of the three Steps of the
USMLE complements the others.
The national medical regulators provide general guidance to
state licensing boards. This guidance recommends requiring
passage of the three USMLE examinations within a seven-year
period and allowing no more than six attempts to pass each
Step without demonstration of additional educational
experience acceptable to the medical licensing authority.
Nationally, six states allow an unlimited number of exam
passage attempts within specified timeframes and another six
states allow an unlimited number of passage attempts with no
specified timeframe.
3)Concerns . The Medical Board of California is opposed to this
bill. As the sponsor of AB 1796 which established current law
requirements for passage of the Step III exam within four
attempts, the MBC is concerned about the competency of
physicians who repeatedly fail licensing exams.
Analysis Prepared by : Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081