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2010 SESSION

10100616D
HOUSE BILL NO. 335
Offered January 13, 2010
Prefiled January 11, 2010
A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-2930 of the Code of Virginia, relating to abortion training in residency programs.
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Patron-- Marshall, R.G.
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Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 54.1-2930 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 54.1-2930. Requirements for admission to examination.

The Board may admit to examination for licensure to practice medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic and podiatry any candidate who has submitted satisfactory evidence verified by affidavits that he:

1. Is eighteen years of age or more;

2. Is of good moral character;

3. Has successfully completed all or such part as may be prescribed by the Board, of an educational course of study of that branch of the healing arts in which he desires a license to practice, which course of study and the educational institution providing that course of study are acceptable to the Board; and

4. Has completed one year of satisfactory postgraduate training in a hospital approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board for internships or residency training. At the discretion of the Board, the postgraduate training may be waived if an applicant for licensure in podiatry has been in active practice for four continuous years while serving in the military and is a diplomate of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. Applicants for licensure in chiropractic need not fulfill this requirement.

In determining whether such course of study and institution are acceptable to it, the Board may consider the reputation of the institution and whether it is approved or accredited by regional or national educational or professional associations including, but not limited to, such organizations as the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education or other official accrediting body recognized by the American Medical Association, by the Committee for the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools or their appropriate subsidiary agencies, by any appropriate agency of the United States government, or by any other organization approved by the Board. Supervised clinical training which is received in the United States as part of the curriculum of a foreign medical school shall be obtained in an approved hospital, institution or school of medicine offering an approved residency program in the specialty area for the relevant clinical training. The Board may also consider any other factors that reflect whether that institution and its course of instruction provide training sufficient to prepare practitioners to practice their branch of the healing arts with competency and safety in the Commonwealth. However, no candidate for the examination for licensure to practice medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, or podiatry who has successfully completed all, or such part as may be prescribed by the Board, of an educational course of study of that branch of the healing arts in which he desires a license to practice, shall be denied admission to the examination, if the course of study, and the educational institution providing that course of study, are not accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education solely for noncompliance with the Council's requirements for training in the procedure of induced abortion in residency training in obstetrics and gynecology.

The Board shall make application to the United States Secretary of Education no later than July 1, 2010, seeking recognition as an accrediting agency for the purpose of accrediting medical education programs in the Commonwealth. The Board, after receiving the approval of the United States Secretary of Education as a recognized accrediting agency, shall provide in its regulations that no candidate for the examination for licensure to practice medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, and podiatry shall be required to complete training in the procedure of induced abortion in residency training in obstetrics and gynecology.