Maintenance of Licensure: Supporting a Physician's Commitment to Lifelong Learning

Abstract

Ideas and Opinions21 August 2012Maintenance of Licensure: Supporting a Physician's Commitment to Lifelong LearningHumayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, SM, Lance A. Talmage, MD, Patrick C. Alguire, MD, Frances E. Cain, BA, Sandra Waters, MEM, and Janelle A. Rhyne, MD, MAHumayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, SMFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, Lance A. Talmage, MDFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, Patrick C. Alguire, MDFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, Frances E. Cain, BAFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, Sandra Waters, MEMFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, and Janelle A. Rhyne, MD, MAFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-4-201208210-00478 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Initially focused on preventing the unlicensed practice of medicine by “quacks” and “charlatans,” state medical boards evolved necessarily over time to promote higher standards for undergraduate medical education; require assessment of knowledge and skills to qualify for initial licensure; develop and enforce standards for professional discipline; and, beginning in 1971, promote continuing medical education (CME). More than a century ago, state medical boards were instrumental in securing legislation that authorized them to refuse to examine graduates of poor-quality medical schools—even before the 1910 publication of Abraham Flexner's scathing indictment of proprietary schools, which hastened their demise and closure (1, 2). ...