Resources & Information

The NCMB does not assign a license number to residents. When filling out forms that request a license number, leave the space blank, or use “RTL” to indicate that you hold a resident training license.

Yes, it is recommended.

Call your Graduate Medical Education (GME) office staff, who function as agents of the North Carolina Medical Board regarding resident training licenses. The GME offices are prepared to handle all inquiries from incoming residents and can explain the application process and assist with questions concerning the online RTL application, fingerprint/criminal background check process and application supporting documents. GME offices strive to approve RTL license applications before residents’ start date.

Once your residency ends you will have access to update your practice address in your Licensure Gateway. From our homepage, click on “Change my name or home/practice address”.

Yes, unless the full license application is approved and a full license is issued BEFORE your RTL renewal date.

You will need to complete the full physician license application online.

You will need a supervising perfusionist until you are certified by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP). Without the ABCP certificate you are required to apply for a provisional perfusionist license. This license is only good for 12 months. You will be required to submit a Designation of Supervising Perfusionist form.

Once you have passed the exams for certification, contact the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion and have them send us verification. You will also need to submit a written request, along with the required fee to have your provisional license converted to a full license.

The licensure process for perfusionists is:

1. Application is submitted.
2. Required items are provided to the Board.
3. Once the application is complete (license verifications, databank queries, SBI report, and all other requested information has been received) the application goes through the Quality Assurance final review stage.
4. If the application or SBI report reveals negative information, the applicant may be asked to come for an interview with the Perfusionist Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC will determine a recommendation on licensure.

No. Sleep techs are registered, not licensed, by the North Carolina Medical Board and as such have no license number. The number assigned to a polysomnographic technologist upon initial registration with the Board is a login number for use when registering each year.

Sleep techs must register annually, on or before September 1st.

Registrants must provide: 1) Their full legal name; 2) Their complete address and current telephone number; 3) Evidence that they are currently credentialed in good standing by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT.)

No. The registration is an online process, which sleep techs will access via the Board’s website. It may be necessary for sleep techs to email, mail or fax certain information to the Board to document their credentials.

Yes. The registration fee, which is set by statute, is $50.

Under the Polysomnography Practice Act, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to practice polysomnography without registering with the Board. Failure to register could result in criminal prosecution or a court injunction barring the unregistered sleep tech from practicing.

Registrants must attest that they are currently credentialed by the BRPT. The Board will verify the sleep tech’s credentials with the BRPT. If the Board is unable to verify if a registrant is currently credentialed by the BRPT, the sleep tech may be required to provide a copy of his or her certificate.

No. The Board is directed by statute only to maintain the registry. Complaints and investigations of violations of the Polysomnography Practice Act shall be directed to and conducted by the national Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists.

There will be an application specifically designated for ITPE applicants, but it will not be available until January 2026 when the law becomes effective. Please do not apply for any other application for which you do not qualify and please do not submit any materials via email to Board staff.

There are at least 11 criteria applicants must satisfy in order to qualify for an ITPE license, including:

• An offer of full-time employment from an NC hospital or a rural medical practice with an on-site NC licensed physician.
• A foreign medical license that is:
  • Active, current, and in good standing, OR
  • Active and in good standing within the past 5 years.
• 130 weeks of Medical Education from a medical school listed in the World Dictionary of Medical Schools
• Eligible to be certified by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, which includes having the applicant’s medical school verified, passing USMLE Step 1 and 2, and completing any additional assessments as required by applicant’s selected Pathway.

• Postgraduate Training that is either:
  

  • 2 years of Graduate Medical Education approved by the applicant’s country of licensure, OR
  • Actively practiced medicine in country of licensure for at least 10 years after graduation.

• Additional Competency Examination. In addition to the examinations required for ECFMG eligibility, the applicant must also provide successful passage of one of the following examinations:
  

  • Examinations currently accepted by state law and board rules, including USMLE Step 3
  • Examinations accepted for licensure in other countries that are members of IAMRA and the exam must be comparable to the USMLE and tests for ability to practice medicine, medical knowledge, skills and understanding of clinical science essential to patient care, communication and interpersonal skills, and interactive testing component.
  • Board Certification from American Board of Medical Specialties (AMBS), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPS).
  • Comprehensive Assessment demonstrating clinical competence by a program approved by the Board.
  • The Board may waive the additional exam requirements but must require the applicant to successfully pass the SPEX or PLAS within one year. The Board will not issue a waiver for the additional examination unless all other requirements of the license have been met.
• No disciplinary history and no pending investigations in any jurisdiction.
• No criminal history. A criminal background check will be required from the applicant’s country of licensure.
• Practice experience. Applicants have to have practiced medicine for at least five years.
• Communication. Applicants must be proficient in English.
• Immigration Status. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

There will also be an application fee of $400. Applications will not be processed until the application fee is submitted.

Proof of any of the above credentials must be primary source verified, meaning documentation must be received from the originating source. The Board will not accept credentialing documents directly from an applicant.

You must have either (1) a current and active license in good standing to practice medicine in a foreign country, or (2) had an active license in good standing to practice medicine within five years immediately preceding the submission of your application.

Applicants must have completed 130 weeks of medical education at a medical school that is listed in the World Dictionary of Medical Schools. The applicant must also be eligible for Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification, meaning the school must be recognized by the ECFMG and the applicant must pass the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 along with any additional assessment requirements under a selected ECFMG pathway.

No, you do not have to be ECFMG certified, but you must have completed all the steps to be eligible for ECFMG certification. This includes having your medical school verified by the ECFMG, passing both USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, as well as any additional assessments required under your selected Pathway within the time frame set by the ECFMG.

Please visit: https://www.ecfmg.org/certification-pathways/pathway-schools.html

Please visit: https://www.ecfmg.org/.

You must have attended the medical school at the time designated by the ECFMG.

Yes, to be ECFMG eligible you must pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 as well as any assessments required by your ECFMG Pathway.

There are two options. You must either have completed two years of postgraduate training in a graduate medical education program approved by your country of licensure OR have actively practiced medicine in your country of licensure for at least 10 years.

The requirement to be ECFMG eligible will require the applicant to successfully pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, along with any assessment required to complete an ECFMG pathway. In addition, the applicant must also successfully pass one of the following exams:

Examinations currently accepted under G.S. 90-10.1, which includes successful passage of all USMLE steps, including USMLE Step 3.
• Examinations accepted for licensure in other countries that are members of IAMRA and the exam must be comparable to the USMLE and tests for ability to practice medicine, medical knowledge, skills and understanding of clinical science essential to patient care, communication and interpersonal skills, and interactive testing component.
• Board Certification from American Board of Medical Specialties (AMBS), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPS).
• Comprehensive Assessment demonstrating clinical competence by a program approved by the Board.
• The Board may waive the exam requirements but must require the applicant to successfully pass the SPEX or PLAS within one year. The Board will not issue a waiver of the additional examination requirement unless all other requirements of the license have been met.

Applicants must have practiced medicine for at least five years in their country of licensure.

The Board cannot assist you in securing an offer of full-time employment. You should search for any available job opportunities at NC licensed hospitals or rural medical practices and follow the employer’s process for applying.

There are two options. ITPEs must have an offer letter of full-time employment from either (1) a hospital located and licensed in North Carolina, OR (2) a medical practice in a rural area where there will be a NC licensed physician on-site.

The hospital must be located and licensed in North Carolina. Click here for a list of hospitals licensed in North Carolina

No. The hospital must be located and licensed in North Carolina. Click here for a list of hospitals licensed in North Carolina

The medical practice must be located in a North Carolina rural medical practice with a population of less than 500 people per square mile, where a fully licensed NC physician is physically practicing on-site. Click here to see a list of rural counties in North Carolina with less than 500 people per square mile.