§453-4 Qualifications for examination and licensure. (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, no person shall be licensed to practice medicine or surgery unless the applicant has passed an examination and has been found to possess the necessary qualifications. No applicant shall be eligible for the examination sooner than the first year of residency; provided that if the applicant is a graduate of a foreign medical school, the applicant shall be eligible no sooner than the second year of residency.
(b) Before any applicant shall be eligible for licensure, the applicant shall furnish proof satisfactory to the board that:
(c) Applicants who have passed, with scores deemed satisfactory by the board, the National Board of Medical Examiners examination (NBME), the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX), the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), or a combination of these examinations as approved by the board, or the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners examination (NBOME), the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA), or the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE), and who meet the requirements of subsection (b) shall be licensed without the necessity of any further examination; provided that with respect to any applicant, the board may require letters of evaluation, professional evaluation forms, and interviews with chiefs of service or attending physicians or osteopathic physicians who have been associated with an applicant, or chief residents on a service who have been associated with an applicant during the applicant's training or practice, to be used by the board in assessing the applicant's qualifications to practice medicine.
(d) Applicants who are licensed in another state by virtue of having passed a state-produced examination may qualify for licensure if they have passed the Special Purpose Examination (SPEX) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Variable-Purpose Examination – USA (COMVEX-USA) and meet the requirements of subsection (b); provided that the board may require letters of evaluation, professional evaluation forms, and interviews with chiefs of service, attending physicians, or osteopathic physicians who have been associated with an applicant, or chief residents on a service who have been associated with an applicant during the applicant's training or practice, to be used by the board in assessing the applicant's qualifications to practice medicine. [L 1896, c 60, §3; am L 1920, c 37, §1; RL 1925, §1024; am L 1925, c 26, §2; RL 1935, §1203; am L 1939, c 183, §1; am L 1941, c 181, §1; am L Sp 1941, c 40, §§1 to 3; RL 1945, §2503; am L 1951, c 173, §1; RL 1955, §64-3; am L 1957, c 219, §1; am L 1959, c 149, §1 and c 271, §2; am L 1961, c 72, §1; am L 1965, c 218, §3; HRS §453-4; am L 1969, c 152, §1 and c 257, §3; am L 1970, c 75, §1; am L 1972, c 167, §1; am L 1973, c 126, §2; am L 1976, c 219, §7; am L 1982, c 227, §2; am L 1983, c 92, pt of §1(2); am L 1984, c 168, §9; am L 1985, c 25, §1 and c 54, §1; am L 1988, c 110, §3; am L 1990, c 295, §1; am L 1993, c 164, §1; am L 1996, c 103, §1 and c 183, §1; am L 2004, c 205, §2; am L 2008, c 5, §7]