ARIZONA STATE SENATE
RESEARCH STAFF
TO: MEMBERS OF THE SENATE
REGULATORY AFFAIRS & GOVERNMENT
EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE
DATE: February 17, 2025
SUBJECT: Strike everything amendment to S.B. 1395, relating to international medical
graduates; requirements
Purpose
Modifies the additional medical licensure requirements for students graduating from an
unapproved allopathic school of medicine.
Background
The purpose of the Arizona Medical Board (AMB) is to protect the public from unlawful,
incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional practitioners of allopathic medicine through
licensure, regulation and rehabilitation of the profession in Arizona (A.R.S. § 32-1403).
An applicant for a medical license in Arizona must: 1) graduate from an approved school
of medicine or receive a medical education of equivalent quality; 2) successfully complete an
approved 12 month hospital internship, residency or clinical fellowship program; 3) have a
professional record that indicates no actions of conduct that would constitute grounds for
disciplinary action, including not having a license revoked and not being currently under
investigation, suspensions or restriction; 4) submit various forms of document verification to the
AMB, such as licensure from every state the applicant has ever held medical license and a full set
of fingerprints for obtaining a state and federal criminal records check ; and 5) pass steps one, two
and three of the U.S. medical licensing examination (A.R.S. §§ 32-1422 and 32-1425).
Statute also outlines additional requirements for applicants who have graduated from an
unapproved school of medicine, including: 1) being able to read, write, speak, understand and be
understood in the English language; 2) holding a standard certificate issued by the educational
council for foreign medical graduates, complete a fifth pathway program or complete 36 months
as a full-time assistant professor or in a higher position in an approve school of medicine; and
3) successfully complete an approved 24 month hospital internship, residency or clinical
fellowship program, in addition to the 12 months statutorily required, for a total of 36 months of
training unless the applicant successfully completed a fifth pathway program or has served as a
full-time assistant professor or in a higher position in an approved school of medicine for a total
of 36 months (A.R.S § 32-1423).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires graduates from an unapproved school of medicine who apply to the AMB for
licensure as a physician to be enrolled in, rather than successfully complete, an additional
approved 24 months of hospital internships, residency or clinical fellowship program.
2. Makes technical changes.
3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
KATI PRATT
ASSISTANT RESEARCH ANALYST
JASON THEODOROU
LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH ANALYST
REGULATORY AFFAIRS & GOVERNMENT
EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE
Telephone: (602) 926-3171