Former Governor John Kitzhaber can no longer practice medicine in Oregon. An emergency room physician, Kitzhaber's license became inactive in January 2014, according to the Oregon Medical Board.
Kitzhaber originally became licensed in 1974 after graduating from Oregon Health & Science University, and began working as an emergency room physician in Roseburg.
During the 40-year stint when he held a medical license, Kitzhaber never faced any disciplinary action or had a malpractice complaint filed against him, Day told The Lund Report.
If Kitzhaber wants to return to practice as an emergency room physician, he can reapply to the Medical Board, but would have to show that “his skills are up to par if he’s been out of practice for more than two years,” that he’s kept up with his continuing medical education requirements and that he’s up to date with the latest medical practices, Randy Day told The Lund Report. That process can take weeks or even months once such a request is made.
“It’s not unusual for a physician to keep their license even though they’re not practicing,” Day said.
Kitzhaber, who resigned as governor on February 18, with state and federal investigations into criminal allegations against him and finance, Cylvia Hayes, practiced medicine from 1973 to 1986 in Roseburg.
Since his resignation, Kitzhaber has not been seen in public.
Diane can be reached at [email protected].
Comments
The hurdles to re-enter medicine are high
The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners doesn't make it easy for physicians who take a detour from medicine.
I know. I considered re-entry a few years ago, having gone off the grid in the late 90s to raise my kids. (It didn't help that my pre-tax-half-time-pay/full-time-hours income was about what it would cost to pay for full time child care at the time.)
The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners' check list for re-entry makes no sense.
With just a 24 month hiatus from the work place, and a physician has to take the Special Purpose Examination (SPEX), a "computerized, multiple-choice examination of current knowledge requisite for the general, undifferentiated practice of medicine."
It doesn't matter that you might be a pediatrician, a surgeon, or (in my case) an endocrinologist. You'd have to study for an undifferentiated practice of medicine. (I suppose taking a crash study course for $89.99 might make that process easier...)
But I had been out for a while. So I considered ramping up to an active license. OHSU briefly had a "re-entry program" for a "limited license" that was apparently discontinued in 2013. The program required the trainee complete electronic medical record and other online training programs required by the University before acceptance to the program, which would cost $5000-$10,000 per month. http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/gme-cme/cme/upload/Aug09MSB.pdf
The "other online training programs" for me included re-certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine--which has been hit with heavy criticisms by Dr. Kurt Eichenwald for its controversial certification process.http://www.newsweek.com/certified-medical-controversy-320495
So I thought I'd just provide charitable work at a safety net clinic. The fees at that time were for an emeritus license:
- MD Renewal Fee $50
- MD DO Prescription Monitoring Invoice $25
- Workforce Data Fee $5
Not a big deal... but not really worth it for me as the safety net clinics were not set up for chronic care patients--the kind of patient I cared for as an internist/endocrinologist.
So I've given up. Hopefully, Dr. Kitzhaber has known for a while that he had to take his shingle down too.
But it's really rather sad there are lots of trained health care providers (many of them women) who run into bureaucratic barriers when it comes to re-entry in their profession.
Kris Alman
I think the former Gov was seen at the dump in Bend and at a reception at Mt. Hood Community College.
portlandtribune.com/.../253823-123611-kitzhaber-says-hell-be-back
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/gov_john_kithabers_and_cylvia.html
Rick Larson