At its October 2019 meeting, the Texas Medical Board adopted a new rule detailing certain significant changes to licensure requirements for particular temporary physician assistants in the state of Texas. Physician assistant licensing is governed by the Texas Physician Assistant Board, which is a subdivision of the Texas Medical Board.
Rule §185.33, concerning the “Exemption from Licensure for Certain Military Spouses (Physician Assistants),” permits spouses of military personnel who are stationed at a military base in the state of Texas to practice as physician assistants without being required to submit to licensure. This is a time-limited exemption to the licensure requirement, not to exceed three years.
In order to qualify for this exemption, the physician assistant’s permission to practice must be authorized by the Board, which will verify that:
- The proposed military spouse practitioner possesses a current license to practice as a physician assistant in another state.
- That the other state’s governing body for physician assistants has mandated “substantially equivalent requirements for licensure” as those that must be met by licensed physician assistants who are granted licenses by the state of Texas.
- That this licensee is in good standing with the governing body in that other state.
This rule was adopted pursuant to a law passed by the Texas Senate on June 10, 2019—SB1200—which was designed to make life easier on military spouses, who must often relocate alongside servicemembers. This previously left these practitioners subject to non-applicability of their licenses obtained in other states, and the resulting lack of income, despite the common occurrence that the relocation to Texas was for a limited—though still substantial—amount of time. Texas, after all, is a major training hub for our nation’s military.
After the three-year period has passed, the military spouse is to be considered a more permanent resident of the state, and will then need to submit to the requirements for licensure in Texas.
This new rule went into effect on September 1, 2019.
Physician Assistant License Defense Attorneys
If you have been notified of a complaint filed against you with the Texas Medical Board, BERTOLINO LLP can help. We are experienced medical and physician assistant license defense attorneys and we know how to navigate the TMB’s complaint process. We are prepared to represent you at any legal hearing or proceeding regarding your license.
Our Firm believes that immediately consulting an experienced medical license defense attorney to review allegations of misconduct helps ensure the most favorable outcome in your case. Our results speak for themselves.
BERTOLINO LLP represents licensed professionals across the entire State of Texas. To best serve our clients we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.
Contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
Follow BERTOLINO LLP on Facebook!
View free videos & subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Get a copy of Tony Bertolino’s Bestselling book When Your License is Under Attack: A Survival Guide for Texas Professionals in hardcover or for Kindle here.
Call or text (512) 476-5757 or complete a Case Evaluation form
