Sec. 10.32.01.02. Definitions

A. In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.

B. Terms Defined.

(1) "ABMS" means the American Board of Medical Specialties.

(2) "ACCME" means the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education.

(3) "ACGME" means the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

(4) "Accredited training program" means a postgraduate clinical medical education program which is:

(a) Certified by the:

(i) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or its successor; or

(ii) American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or its successor;

(b) Accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or its successor;

(c) A postgraduate clinical medical education program that meets all of the following criteria:

(i) Is in a specialty or subspecialty area, or both, that is not being accredited by the ACGME, AOA or RCPSC but meets all the requirements for accreditation of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Osteopathic Association, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada;

(ii) Is directed by a physician who is actively licensed to practice medicine in the United States, its territories or possessions, Puerto Rico, or Canada;

(iii) Is concurrently offered with ACGME-accredited programs; and

(iv) Is taught at a hospital that is accredited by the The Joint Commission or its successor or predecessor; or

(d) A program conducted in the United States of America or Canada that is the equivalent of §B(3)(a), (b), or (c) of this regulation as determined by the Board of Physicians.

(5) "AOA" means the American Osteopathic Association.

(6) "Applicant" means an individual applying for initial licensure as a physician in Maryland.

(7) "Application period" means the time between the Board's receipt of an application and the issuance of a license or the closure of an application through withdrawal, determination of ineligibility, or denial of application.

(8) "Board" means the Board of Physicians.

(9) "Board-certified" means the physician is certified by a public or private board, including a multidisciplinary board, and the certifying board is:

(a) A member of ABMS;

(b) An AOA certifying board;

(c) The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; or

(d) The College of Family Physicians of Canada.

(10) "CME" means continuing medical education.

(11) "ECFMG" means the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates or its successor.

(12) "FCVS" means the Federal Credentialing Verification Services of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc.

(13) "Federation" means the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc.

(14) "FLEX examination" means the Federation Licensing Examination designed by the Federation of State Medical Boards in cooperation with the National Board of Medical Examiners.

(15) "FLEX weighted average" means the method of calculating the grade of the FLEX examination by which the test results on the first day count 1/6, the second day 2/6, and the third day 3/6.

(16) "Foreign medical school" means a medical school located outside the United States or its territories, Canada, or Puerto Rico.

(17) "LCME" means Liaison Committee on Medical Education, an organization that accredits programs in medical education leading to the doctor of medicine degree in the United States and territories and, in cooperation with the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools, in Canada.

(18) "Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)" means the examination of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages designed to evaluate the spoken English proficiency of those whose native language is not English.

(19) "Orientation program” means a program of information approved by the Board which includes:

(a) The statutes and regulations governing the practice of medicine in Maryland;

(b) Boundary issues; and

(c) The role and functions of the Board.

(20) "Postgraduate training" means clinical and medical training for medical school graduates, including but not limited to, internships, residencies, and fellowships.

(21) "Professional school" means a school whose curricula lead to a professional license, certification, or registration issued under the Health Occupations Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, including the medical school of graduation or the medical school, where an applicant obtained medical education, that is affiliated with the institution that conferred the medical degree on the applicant.

(22) "Recertification" means successfully meeting all of the specified recertification requirements of a medical licensing authority or specialty board recognized by the Board.

(23) "Speech impairment" means a disorder of the voice, articulation, speech sounds, or fluency in the speaker's native language.

(24) "SPEX" means the Special Purpose Examination prepared by the Federation of State Medical Boards.

(25) "Successfully completed year of postgraduate training" means:

(a) 12 months of accredited postgraduate training in one integrated program in which the:

(i) Applicant completed all the requirements;

(ii) Program director rated the applicant's performance as satisfactory; and

(iii) Applicant's performance was such that the applicant qualified for advancement without academic or clinical probationary conditions to the next year and next progressive level of responsibility in a designated specialty program; or

(b) A year of accredited postgraduate training which the applicant completed in a manner that satisfied the requirements of §B(20-1)(a)(i) and (ii) of this regulation but that did not satisfy the requirements of §B(20-1)(a)(iii) of this regulation, and which was followed by a year of training which the applicant completed in a manner that satisfied all of the requirements of §B(20-1)(a) of this regulation.

(26) "TOEFL" means the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

(27) "USMLE" means the United States Medical Licensing Examination.