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Osteopathic Physician & Surgeon Temporary Certificate

Temporary Certification

Applicants wishing to apply for a Temporary Postgraduate Training License or Temporary Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon Certificate may do so. Pending they meet all qualifications needed to obtain a permanent Postgraduate Training License or Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon Certificate.

To apply for a temporary Certificate applicants must have:

Temporary Postgraduate Training License

  • Received their education and graduated from an osteopathic medical school accredited by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). https://osteopathic.org/accreditation/
  • Completed levels 1-2 of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA). CCR Title 16 Section 1611 (d)
  • Enrolled in a 12-month (1st year) AOA/ACGME postgraduate training program, ensuring that they will obtain at least four months of general medicine, where there is direct patient care responsibility.

– OR –

Temporary Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon Certificate

  • Received their education and graduated from an osteopathic medical school accredited by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). https://osteopathic.org/accreditation/
  • Received 12 months (1st year) postgraduate training credit from an AOA/ACGME Program. Reflecting completion of at least four months of general medicine, where there was direct patient care responsibility.
  • Completed all three (3) levels of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA). CCR Title 16 Section 1611 (d)

Once you receive your temporary license, you may practice medicine in California while submitting all documentation required for your full P&S Certificate or PTL.

A temporary license is valid for a period of 12 months, or until the full P&S license or PTL is issued, whichever occurs first; allowing an applicant to work on completing the application process. Your temporary license profile will be available online, once approved.

To qualify for a temporary license, you must:

  1. Be married to, in a domestic partnership with, or in other legal union with, an active- duty member of the United States Armed Forces who is assigned to a duty station in California under official active-duty military orders.
  2. Hold a current, active, postgraduate (resident) license that grants you the authority to practice medicine in another state, district, or territory of the United States.

    – OR –

    Hold a current, active, and unrestricted license that grants you the authority to practice medicine in another state, district, or territory of the United States.
  3. Have not committed an act in any jurisdiction that would have constituted grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation of the license under this code at the time the act was committed. A violation of this paragraph may be grounds for the denial or revocation of a temporary license issued by the board.
  4. Have not been disciplined by a licensing entity in another jurisdiction and shall not be the subject of an unresolved complaint, review procedure, or disciplinary proceeding conducted by a licensing entity in another jurisdiction.

Business and Professions Code section 144 requires applicants to complete a criminal history background check by submitting a full set of fingerprints and the fingerprint processing fees established by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). You are required to submit fingerprints for the Board to complete a criminal history background check, even if you were previously fingerprinted for another California employer or regulatory body.

If living in, or visiting California, please fulfill this requirement by completing a Request for Live Scan Service form (PDF) before visiting an authorized Live Scan operator. Applicants are responsible for paying for all Live Scan fees at the time of service. The Board will not accept a Live Scan completed in another state. Typically, the results of the Live Scan are transmitted electronically to the Board within 1-3 business days.

If you live outside of California and cannot access a Live Scan site in this state, you will need to complete your criminal history background check using the hard card fingerprint method.

  • Contact the Board by email to obtain two (2) fingerprint cards (FD-258) at OMBC.Applications@dca.ca.gov. When submitting requests by email, please include your name and address. Fingerprint cards are typically mailed within 1-3 business days.
  • Visit a local law enforcement agency or agency authorized to provide fingerprint rolling services. The fingerprint impressions must be distinct from each other as the DOJ and/or FBI may reject fingerprint cards containing identical impressions.
  • Be sure to include a check, cashier’s check, or money order payable to the California Department of Justice for $49.
  • Mail one (1) completed fingerprint card to the Department of Justice for processing which can take approximately three to six weeks. Do not fold the cards:

California Department of Justice
P.O. Box 903417
Sacramento, CA 94203-4170

Physicians authorized to order, prescribe, administer, furnish, or dispense Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV controlled substances, must consult the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). Please visit the CURES Reporting Requirements for Direct Dispensing Practitioners webpage for CURES registration and more information.

The Board may terminate a temporary license upon finding that the temporary license holder failed to meet any of the requirements listed above or provided substantively inaccurate information that would affect the person’s eligibility for a temporary license. Upon termination of the temporary license, the board shall issue a notice of termination that shall require the temporary license holder to cease all clinical services immediately.

If you have questions, please contact the Board’s Licensing Unit at (916) 928-8390 ext. 2

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