OAR 847-020-0170: Examination for Licensure

(1) The applicant must have passed one of the following examinations or combinations of examinations: (a) United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Steps 1, 2, and 3. (b) National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) examination or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) or any combination of their parts. (c) Licentiate of Medical Council of Canada (LMCC). (d) Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX) Components 1 and 2 or FLEX Days I, II, and III. (e) National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Parts I, II, and III. (f) State licensing examination administered by a state or territory of the United States, if approved by the Board. (g)(A) NBME Part I or USMLE Step 1; and (B) NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2; and (C) NBME Part III or USMLE Step 3 or FLEX Component 2. (h) FLEX Component 1 and USMLE Step 3. (2) The score achieved on each Step, Part, Component or state examination must equal or exceed the figure established by the entity administering the examination as a passing score. (3) All Steps, Parts or Components listed in subsections (1)(g)–(h) must be administered prior to January 2000, except for applicants who participated in and completed a combined MD/DO/PhD program. (4) The applicant who bases an application on passing the USMLE or the NBOME examination or the COMLEX must have done so under the following conditions: (a) All three Steps of USMLE, or all three Levels of the NBOME examination or COMLEX or any combination, must be passed within a seven-year period which begins when the first Step or Level, either Step 1 or Step 2 or Level 1 or Level 2, is passed. An applicant who has not passed all three Steps or Levels within the seven-year period may request an exception to the seven-year requirement if he/she: (A) Has current certification by a specialty board as defined in 847-020-0100; or (B) Suffered from a documented significant health condition which by its severity would necessarily cause a delay to the applicant’s medical study; or (C) Participated in a combined MD/DO/PhD program; or (D) Completed continuous approved post-graduate training with the equivalent number of years to an MD/DO/PhD program; or (E) Experienced other extenuating circumstances that do not indicate an inability to safely practice medicine as determined by the Board. (b) The applicant must have passed USMLE Step 3 or NBOME’s COMLEX Level 3 within four attempts whether for Oregon or any other state. After the third failed attempt, the applicant must have completed one additional year of postgraduate training in the United States or Canada prior to readmission to the examination. The Board must approve the additional year of training to determine whether the applicant is eligible for licensure. The applicant, after completion of the required year of training, must have passed USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level 3 on their fourth and final attempt. An applicant who has passed USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level 3, but not within the four attempts as required, may request a waiver of this requirement if he/she has current certification by a specialty board as defined in 847-020-0100. (5) The applicant who bases an application upon passing the FLEX examination must have done so under the following conditions: (a) The FLEX examination must have been passed within seven years of the first attempt. The applicant who has taken the FLEX examination (Day I, II, and III) administered between June 1968 and December 1984 must have taken the entire examination at one sitting. The applicant who has taken the FLEX examination (Components 1 and 2), in June 1985 or after, was not required to take both Components 1 and 2 at one sitting. (b) The applicant may not have taken the FLEX examination more than a total of four times, whether in Oregon or other states, whether the components were taken together or separately. After the third failed attempt, the applicant must have satisfactorily completed one year of approved training in the United States or Canada prior to having taken the entire FLEX examination at one sitting on the fourth and final attempt. An applicant who has passed the FLEX examination but not within the four attempts may request a waiver of this requirement if he/she has current certification by a specialty board as defined in 847-020-0100. (c) Only the applicant's scores on the most recently taken FLEX examination will be considered to determine eligibility.