NBME/USMLE Defense for Louisiana Medical Students and Graduates

Louisiana has all the things that a physician would want for a thriving medical practice including leading hospitals, a sophisticated healthcare system, a large and friendly population, and good weather and lifestyle options. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners stands ready to license qualified physicians for rewarding medical practice, as it acknowledges, processing hundreds of applications annually. Yet the State Board of Medical Examiners' licensing process will require favorably resolving your pending NBME / USMLE issues. Those issues can prevent your Louisiana medical licensure, costing you everything for which you've worked and invested.

The Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team has the skilled and experienced attorneys to help you favorably resolve your NBME / USMLE issues. We are available in New Orleans, Lafayette, Metairie, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Kenner, Bossier City, Monroe, Alexandria, Prairieville, Houma, Marrero, Central, and across Louisiana to help you gain Louisiana medical licensure to establish your Louisiana medical practice and preserve your medical career. Call 888.535.3686 or use our contact form now for the representation you need for your best licensing outcome.

Rewards of Louisiana Medical Practice

You know the rewards you expect when seeking a career as a licensed Louisiana physician. Those anticipated rewards are not only financial and professional but also personal and familial. Louisiana has large hospitals and sophisticated healthcare facilities to support your thriving medical practice. Those facilities include Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, University Medical Center New Orleans, Ochsner Medical Center, East Jefferson General Hospital, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Academic Medical Center, West Jefferson Medical Center, Rapides Regional Medical Center, Touro Infirmary, and Willis-Knighton Medical Center, among others around the state. Louisiana also has fine medical schools to help you continue your professional development, including Tulane University School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and Louisiana State University Health Shreveport. Louisiana's vibrant music, arts, food, and cultural scene, beautiful waterfront properties, varied economy, and other amenities offer you a great opportunity for a lifelong medical career. Retain us to help you resolve your NBME / USMLE issues so that you can enjoy the rewards of a Louisiana medical practice.

Louisiana Medical Licensing Authority

Louisiana's legislature adopted the state's Medical Practice Act to regulate the practice of medicine within the state. The Act's Section 1261 warns that the state deems it necessary to license physicians to prevent the “unprofessional, improper, unauthorized, and unqualified practice of medicine” within the state. The Act's Section 1263 creates the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners within the Louisiana Department of Health to carry out the duties listed in the Act's Section 1267. Those duties include to:

• examine applicants for the practice of medicine;
• issue licenses only to those with the necessary qualifications; and
• take other appropriate administrative actions to regulate medical practice within the state.

The Act's Section 1271 expressly prohibits a physician from practicing within the state without a Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners license. Section 1286 authorizes the Board of Medical Examiners to obtain a court injunction against anyone attempting to practice without a license and to impose associated fines. You must not practice without a valid license. Let us help you overcome your NBME / USMLE issues so that you can enter your Louisiana medical practice with the credentials you need.

Louisiana Medical Licensure General Requirements

Section 1272 of Louisiana's Medical Practice Act sets forth the general requirements you must meet to obtain a medical license for practice in the state. Those requirements include the minimum age of twenty-one years, lawful U.S. citizenship or residency, an approved medical education, good moral character, and passage of an approved medical licensing exam. Another provision, Section 1285, states other grounds on which the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners may refuse to issue you a license or to revoke or suspend a license already issued. The issue delaying or frustrating your license may be with the NBME, the USMLE, or with any of the other issues. Our attorneys can help you with your licensing issue no matter whether it involves the NBME or USMLE, your lawful residency, your medical education, or another matter.

Louisiana Medical License Application Requirements

Your proper license application can also be critical to your successful licensure. Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners Administrative Rule 125 and other rules require that you apply on the Board's forms, using its LaMED online application system. Section 1285 of Louisiana's Medical Practice Act makes it a ground to deny a medical license if the applicant commits “[f]raud, deceit, or perjury in obtaining any diploma, license, or permit....” That may be your NBME / USMLE issue, that the State Board of Medical Examiner officials reviewing your application believe that you misrepresented your exam credentials or committed misconduct relative to the exam itself. If your NBME / USMLE issues have just arisen, you may also need to update your Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners application to ensure that your application remains accurate. We can help you address any issues you have with the accuracy of your license application. Beware of these credential fraud issues. Even if you are plainly qualified for a license, inaccuracies can delay or frustrate your application.

Louisiana Medical Licensing Exam Requirements

Louisiana's Medical Practice Act does not state the specific exam you must pass to qualify for a license. The Act's Section 1272 instead delegates that authority to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners thus adopted its Administrative Rule 311 setting forth the approved licensing exams. Those approved exams include the three USMLE step exams, the three parts of the NBME, both FLEX components or various combinations of those exams. The same Rule 311 details the medical education requirements and adds a clinical experience requirement of either one or two years depending on the application date and other variables. The State Board of Medical Examiners also has detailed requirements for the timing and number of permitted exam retakes, depending on which exam you pursue and what step requires your retake attempts. You may, for instance, face a three-attempt limit within one year or a four-strike limit overall. Let us help you interpret, apply, and advocate the State Board's rules, policies, and practices to resolve your NBME / USMLE issue.

Potential NBME / USMLE Issues Affecting Louisiana Medical Licensure

Issues with your NBME / USMLE licensing exam can arise in a variety of ways. The particulars of your circumstances may be unusual or even unique. But your issue probably falls into one of the common patterns our attorneys find around NBME / USMLE issues. NBME / USMLE rules and procedures probably address your general issue, even if your particular circumstances are unique. Those rules and procedures also give our attorneys the opportunity to advocate effectively for the best resolution of your exam issue. The following discussion addresses these common issues Louisiana medical license applicants face, as to which our attorneys can represent you for your best possible outcome:

1. qualifying for the exam;
2. passing the exam within the permitted retake limits;
3. defending irregular behavior charges alleging exam cheating;
4. defending anomalous performance disqualification;
5. overcoming an invalidated score; and
6. proving extenuating circumstances for additional retakes.

USMLE Qualifying Issues for Louisiana Physicians

You might be surprised at the number of issues that can arise when attempting to qualify for the NBME / USMLE to obtain a Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners license. The USMLE Bulletin of Information details the USMLE exam qualification requirements. The Bulletin of Information also states the terms and conditions under which you take the USMLE exam. Here are just a few of the issues that can arise when you initially apply for the USMLE exam or that may arise later after your initial qualification:

• affirmative misrepresentations or misleading omissions suggesting that you may have committed credential fraud on your USMLE application;
• missing supporting documents or documents that are not original or that do not include the certification, attestation, or other authentication USMLE officials require;
• inconsistencies between your application statements and the documents that you supply, indicating potential credential fraud;
• information suggesting that your medical school has accreditation issues or is not on the State Board of Medical Examiners approved list;
• issues with your medical school grades, required coursework, required clinical work, or medical residency, suggesting a failure to satisfactorily progress;
• misconduct issues at your medical school or in your medical residency, suggesting poor character, poor fitness, or unprofessionalism;
• issues with your proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful residency status; and
• pending criminal charges, criminal convictions, your failure to authorize criminal history checks, or the failure of a court or law enforcement agency to provide the history check.

How We Help Address USMLE Qualification Issues

You can see from the above list of issues qualifying for the NBME / USMLE that resolving the issue may involve dealing with exam officials, medical school officials, medical residency officials, immigration officials, or court or agency officials. Resolving qualifications issues can also involve getting just the right updated or corrected record in just the right form, from just the right official conveyed to exam officials by just the right route. Our attorneys have the reputation, relationships, and skills to deal with any of those officials, acquiring and supplying the appropriate documentation. We know how to involve medical school, medical residency, court, and other procedures to resolve pending issues and to get the necessary orders and entries updating records. We can also help address and resolve issues arising out of your allegedly inaccurate statements or misleading omissions.

Louisiana Medical Licensing Exam Attempt Limits

Of course, passing your medical licensing exam is up to you. However, examinees frequently fail one or more step exams and require retakes. Retakes are a reasonable strategy for medical students and graduates who have precious little extra time to student for step exams. If you can pass with less time devoted to exam study and more time devoted to coursework or clinical practice, then all the better. But the above discussion of the licensing exams that the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners approves mentioned the State Board's rules on retake limits. You may only get three retakes within one year or four retakes overall, the latter also being the USMLE's own retake limit. If you bump up against the retake limit, you may find yourself unable to sit once again for a step exam that you know you can pass once you have devoted the extra study time.

How We Help with USMLE Retake Limit Issues

One way in which our attorneys may be able to help you gain additional retakes so that you can sit for and pass your step exam is to invoke the USMLE's extenuating circumstances policy. Examinees can have things come up on an emergency basis, affecting their exam attendance or performance. You may have gotten sick, suffered an accident, or had a close family member fall sick or suffer an injury on the eve of your scheduled exam. You may have missed your scheduled exam, having your miss count against your retake limit, or you may have begun the exam only to realize that you were not up to it because of your extenuating circumstances. Our attorneys can help you invoke the USMLE's extenuating circumstances policy so that your missed or attempted-but-failed exam does not count against your retake limit. You may need just one more try to pass. We may be able to help you get that one extra try.

Louisiana Physician USMLE Irregular Behavior Issues

Accusations that you cheated in some way on or around your NBME / USMLE exam can also delay or derail your Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners license. Everyone connected with exam procedures has a duty to detect and report cheating, including not only the exam proctors but also test center staff, exam administrative staff, and even fellow examinees. Misunderstandings can easily arise, leading to suspected cheating and what the USMLE calls irregular behavior charges. The USMLE Bulletin of Information defines cheating, or irregular behavior, as any attempt to “compromise [exam] validity, integrity, or security.” The Bulletin of Information warns against cheating in these many different forms:

• misrepresenting exam qualifications;
• altering or falsifying documents submitted to qualify;
• registering for the exam when ineligible;
• attempting exam retake after disqualification;
• recruiting someone to take the exam for you;
• taking the exam for another person;
• seeking confidential exam questions and answers;
• sharing confidential exam questions and answers;
• disobeying exam proctors or test center staff;
• interfering with exam administration;
• offending or harassing exam proctors or test center staff;
• violating exam instructions during the exam;
• using unauthorized materials or devices during the exam;
• removing exam materials from the exam room;
• photographing or copying exam questions in the exam room;
• telling licensing officials you passed when you failed the exam;
• telling licensing officials you remain qualified after disqualification;
• refusing to cooperate with exam investigators;
• lying to exam investigators; and
• interfering with exam investigation.

How We Address USMLE Irregular Behavior Charges

Our attorneys can help you face USMLE irregular behavior charges. How you handle an exam investigation may have everything to do with its outcome. Retain us the moment you learn of an exam investigation. Keep in mind that the coverup can be worse than the so-called crime. We can help you ensure that you provide accurate and complete information to exam investigators. We can also help you identify, acquire, and present your exonerating evidence and mitigating information. The USMLE Office of the Secretariat conducts exam investigations. Its notice to you of irregular behavior charges will include a description of its adjudication process. We can invoke that process on your behalf to put your best defense case forward in the resolution of the charges. Let us help you update your Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners application, communicating with licensing officials that we are helping you diligently resolve your USMLE irregular behavior issues so that licensing officials keep your application open.

Louisiana Physician USMLE Anomalous Performance Issues

Perhaps surprisingly to you, a very low score on an NBME / USMLE exam can result in exam disqualification. You might assume that doing especially poorly just means that you must retake the exam. But USMLE officials reserve the right to declare you unqualified for the exam under its anomalous performance policy if you skip sections of the exam, fail to make a reasonable effort on the exam, or just score so low as to indicate a lack of skill, effort, and education. Your disqualification may trigger notice to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners that you are no longer able to meet its exam requirements, causing the State Board to close your application file.

How We Address USMLE Anomalous Performance

Unlike in the instance of irregular behavior charges, the USMLE Office of the Secretariat does not offer a formal USMLE adjudication process over anomalous performance. The reason is presumably that disclosing the details of how you performed on the exam might destroy exam confidentiality. However, we may nonetheless be able to communicate your explanation for your anomalous performance to USMLE officials in a way that encourages them to retain your qualifications and sit for the exam. You may just need another attempt under better circumstances. We may also be able to show your sound medical education and good character, even if you are unable to discern the nature of your anomalous performance. You may, for instance, have simply misunderstood exam instructions, inadvertently skipped exam sections, or made numerous mistaken entries, or the problem may have been with the USMLE's administration or scoring. Let us help you overcome anomalous performance charges while keeping the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners informed of our efforts so that it keeps your application file open.

Louisiana Physician USMLE Invalidated Score Issues

Conversely, in rare instances, a very high score may also trigger NBME / USMLE issues. A nice problem to have? Not so much. The USMLE Program Statement indicates that the organization may enforce its invalidated score policy whenever an examinee's responses, either alone or in a pattern with other local examinees, far exceed the normal distribution. The inference is that a suspiciously high score or group of high scores indicates cheating or a similar issue with the character of the examinee and the confidentiality and integrity of the exam. If you receive USMLE notice of an invalidated score, that notice may also go to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, which might then disqualify you from a license. You may also have to update your application disclosing your NBME / USMLE issue, leading to the closure of your application file.

How We Address a USMLE Invalidated Score

Our attorneys should be able to invoke the Office of the USMLE Secretariat's adjudication process on your behalf in the event of your invalidated score. As in the case of an anomalously low exam performance, we may be able to present evidence of your strong academic performance in medical school and your good character to justify your anomalously high exam performance. Our efforts may gain the approval and release of your passing score or gain you a retake effort to pass the exam again. We can also inform the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners of our efforts on your behalf to encourage the State Board to keep your application file open.

Louisiana Administrative Review Procedures

As indicated above, the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners may reject your application if NBME / USMLE officials indicate that they have disqualified you from the exam, even if you plan to invoke exam procedures to challenge your disqualification. Our attorneys can not only help you invoke exam procedures to resolve your issues but also communicate with Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners officials so that they hold your application in abeyance while we address the exam issues. If, on the other hand, the State Board insists on rejecting your application, we can invoke protective procedures to challenge that action. Section 1285.2 of the Louisiana Medical Practice Act requires that the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners follow due process when acting on license complaints.

Premier NBME / USMLE Defense in Louisiana

The Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team is available across Louisiana to help you resolve your NBME / USMLE issues. Our skilled and experienced attorneys help hundreds of students, graduates, and other professionals in Louisiana and nationwide with their licensing issues. Call 888.535.3686 or use our contact form now to retain our premier attorneys.