(a)(1)(A) Any person who wishes to obtain the right to practice medicine in this state and who was not, prior to March 16, 1970, registered or licensed to practice medicine, either by the State Board of Medical Examiners or the State Board of Examiners in Osteopathy, shall, before it shall be lawful for him to practice medicine in this state, make application to the board through the executive director, upon such forms and in such manner as shall be adopted and prescribed by the board, and shall obtain from the board a license to practice medicine. Any person who practices medicine without first having obtained a license shall be deemed to have violated this chapter. All applicants for a license to practice medicine or for a renewal of any such license which has been revoked shall furnish the board with evidence of good moral character. Applications from candidates to practice medicine or surgery in any of its branches shall be accompanied by proof that the applicant is a graduate of one of the two colleges of medicine now existing in this state, or from some other legally incorporated medical college or osteopathic college.

(B) The board by rule or regulation may establish standards and procedures for evaluating, inspecting, and approving any medical or osteopathic college not already approved by it on or before March 16, 1970. The evaluation procedure may include consideration of reports from any outside agency having expertise in medical or osteopathic college evaluation; provided, however, that the board shall make the final decision on approval of medical and osteopathic colleges. Nothing contained in this Code section shall prevent the approval of medical schools outside of the United States or the licensing of graduates of medical schools outside of the United States if such schools and their graduates comply with the standards established in this Code section and by rule of the board.

(2) Graduates of board approved medical or osteopathic colleges and persons who are graduated on or before July 1, 1985, from medical or osteopathic colleges which are not approved by the board must complete one year of a board approved internship or residency training program to be eligible to stand any regular examination given by the board for a license to practice medicine in this state. Persons who are graduated after July 1, 1985, from medical or osteopathic colleges which are not approved by the board must complete three years of a board approved internship or residency training program to be eligible to stand any regular examination given by the board for a license to practice medicine in this state. However, before any such person shall be eligible to receive a license to practice medicine in this state, he shall furnish the board with satisfactory evidence of attainments and qualifications under this Code section and the rules and regulations of the board. Nothing contained in this Code section shall be construed so as to require a person who has previously passed an examination given by the board for a license to practice medicine in this state to stand another examination.

(3) If the applicant submits proof that he has had training as an intern or resident as required in paragraph (2) of this subsection and if he furnishes satisfactory evidence of attainments and qualifications under this chapter and the rules and regulations of the board, he shall be eligible to receive a license from the board giving him absolute authority to practice medicine in this state, provided that the board shall, before approving any internship program not already approved by it on or before March 16, 1970, evaluate or inspect such internship program and determine that such internship program meets the standards of programs approved by the board on or before March 16, 1970.

(4) If the date of graduation from an institution mentioned in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection is on or before January 1, 1967, no proof of internship in an approved hospital need be submitted to obtain a license from the board.

(b)(1) Students who have completed the academic curriculum in residence in a foreign medical school and who:

(A) Have studied medicine at a medical school located outside of the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada which is recognized by the World Health Organization; and

(B) Have completed all of the formal requirements of the foreign medical school except internship or social service

may substitute for the internship or social service required by a foreign country an academic year of supervised clinical training (clinical clerkship) prior to entrance into the first year of American Medical Association approved graduate education. The supervised clinical training must be under the direction of a medical school approved by the liaison committee on medical education.

(2) Before beginning the supervised clinical training, the students must have their academic records reviewed and approved by the medical schools supervising their clinical training and shall pass the Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) qualifying examination.

(3) Students who are judged by the sponsoring medical schools to have successfully completed the supervised clinical training shall be eligible to enter the first year of American Medical Association approved graduate training program without completing social service or internship obligations required by the foreign country and without obtaining Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification.

(c) Notwithstanding any other contrary provisions of this Code section, a person who has:

(1) Completed the academic curriculum in residence in a nonapproved medical school, as specified in subsection (b) of this Code section;

(2) Completed one year of supervised clinical training in a teaching hospital in Georgia that is approved by the board;

(3) Satisfactorily completed one year of a board approved internship or residency training program in Georgia that is approved by the board;

(4) Received a favorable letter of recommendation from the program director of such board approved internship or residency program; and

(5) Satisfactorily completed components 1 and 2 of the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX)

shall be eligible to apply for a provisional license to practice medicine during the completion of such person's board approved internship or residency training program. Such provisional license, if approved by the board, shall allow the holder to practice medicine in a Health Professional Shortage Area designated as such by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, based on recommendations by the Department of Community Health. Such a provisional license shall not be approved pursuant to this subsection for more than two years and if the licensee leaves, quits, or is expelled from the approved residency program, the provisional license shall be deemed to be revoked. Such provisional license shall be issued only upon approval by the board and nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to require the issuance of such license.