Fired resident charged with 2008 murders

[MarissaNicole]

This is an old story, but new law came out in Illinois so I have some questions......

How do you get a license to practice medicine if you aren't enrolled in or haven't completed a residency program? Is there no verification that you are actually enrolled in or completed the residency? Is it just an honor system, where on your application you say you completed residency?

Change in background checks for medical training in IL

Older article about how he lied

I'm not sure how I feel about this - I think its already hard enough for people to switch specialties - but at the same time how did he get a license when he hadn't completed residency? I also think the media is making a big stretch here, I don't think the additionaly background check/rules would not have prevented the murders. And I don't like how they are making the inference of not finishing resdency = red flags for crazy/murderer. Yes it should have raised flags that he was LYING on his license applications... but I don't think anything else.

[Auspicious]

Husband did residency in IL and is licensed in IL, SC, GA, and NC, and says of those four IL is the most expensive and has the least oversight. And he did also get his permanent IL license after two years of residency (at which point he was eligible to perform autopsies for pay/moonlighting). As he's renewed it since then, it has been just on the honor system that he completed residency, but the other three states all verify.

I would think that rather than putting the onus on programs to report a resident separating early, the onus would be on the Dr. to provide verification of completion and the licensing board to verify. It sounds like the way they want to do it now would make it too easy for programs to blackball residents they have fired--and we all know it's not always the resident who's the psycho.

Obviously this guy shouldn't have had a medical license ten years later, but I agree proper handling of pulling his license wouldn't have prevented these murders.

[GrayMatterWife]

How do you get a license to practice medicine if you aren't enrolled in or haven't completed a residency program? Is there no verification that you are actually enrolled in or completed the residency? Is it just an honor system, where on your application you say you completed residency?

I'm not sure how I feel about this - I think its already hard enough for people to switch specialties - but at the same time how did he get a license when he hadn't completed residency? I also think the media is making a big stretch here, I don't think the additionaly background check/rules would not have prevented the murders. And I don't like how they are making the inference of not finishing resdency = red flags for crazy/murderer. Yes it should have raised flags that he was LYING on his license applications... but I don't think anything else.

DH had to provide his certificate of internship completion, a letter of residency status (stating that he was completing his final year and that the program anticipated his successful completion on June 30, 2011), and, once awarded, his certificate of residency completion. That was to get his license in Georgia. I assumed that was kind of standard. He also had to provide these docs when he obtained admitting privileges at the hospitals here. And when he signed a contract to do occasional locums work here in Georgia--and that was DESPITE having a Georgia license (which can't be obtained without providing those documents). I actually keep copies of those docs easily available in PDF form, so he can provide them when he needs to.

For whatever it's worth…in many states (I don't know about all), you do not need to have completed a residency to practice medicine. You just need to have completed the internship year. Docs who practice on the internship year alone I've heard called "Doc in a Box"--a kind of derogatory term, equating them to "Jack in the Box" caliber, "fast food" doctors, I think. I think they practice primarily in non-academic clinics. I don't know much about them.