Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Board of Medical Examiners website.
This section has been expanded so that more of your questions can be answered.
Click FAQs for the latest in about the Complaint Process.
Click FAQs for information about Administrative Suspension of licenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Department of Labor & Industry is pleased to bring you “eBiz,” its web-based system for licensing, renewals and licensee information.
You can find eBiz at: https://ebiz.mt.gov/pol
With your eBiz account and your individual User Name and Password, you can:
“eBiz” is also the new home for the Department of Labor and Industry’s “Licensee Lookup” service.
Note: Licensee Lookup does not require a User Name and Password. It is free and available to the public.
When you register with eBiz, you will choose a User Name and Password that you can then use to conduct business on the website. Once you have a User Name and Password, be sure to keep them in a place where you can easily reach them for license renewals or other online business with the Department.
If you don’t know your User Name and Password, contact the Department's customer service unit at 406-841-2300 or e-mail the Board at dlibsdmed@mt.gov.
The first thing you'll do when going to the online portal at https://ebiz.mt.gov/pol is register for an account. Once that's complete, you can enter the portal and begin an application. You'll first enter personal information and answer a series of questions. You also can download documents or upload information. However, waiting to complete your online application until those forms are ready will delay the delivery of your online application to the Department. The application will "open" only after you have paid the application fee, which is the last step in the process. You can skip through the document upload stages if you wish, proceed on to the payment portal, pay your fee by credit card, and then return to the application at your leisure to upload documents or information. You also can submit documents via e-mail or postal mail. Once they arrive, they'll be added to your application record.
You can go directly to the Licensee Lookup System This public service is part of the Business Standards Division’s “eBiz” website and is a primary source for verification of license credentials. The Division relies upon information provided by licensees to be true and correct, as required by statute. It is an act of unprofessional conduct for a licensee knowingly to provide erroneous information to the Division. The Department of Labor and Industry makes no warranty or guarantee concerning the accuracy or reliability of the content of this website. Assessing the accuracy and reliability of information obtained from this website is solely the responsibility of the user. If you have questions regarding information found within this Licensee Lookup website, please contact the specific licensing board directly. Please note that some disciplinary actions against licensees may not appear immediately on the website. Appeals, effective dates of orders and other administrative processes may delay posting on the website. Please contact the specific licensing board directly if you require discipline information that occurred prior to July 1, 1996.
Tips for using Licensee Lookup:
Frequently Asked Questions
37-3-401, MCA contains reporting requirements. Unprofessional conduct is defined in ARM 24.156.405 and 37-1-316, MCA.
ARM 24.156.431 describes ways to report licensee impairment: one option is to contact the Board’s compliance specialist; the other option is to contact the Montana Recovery Program. Anyone may file a complaint or provide information to the Board office regarding unprofessional conduct or incompetence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Licenses granted through the BOME are good for a maximum of two years and expire on either of these dates in the license’s expiration year:
Professional licensees may renew their licenses online at https://ebiz.mt.gov/pol.
Each licensee is assigned a personal User Name and Password to access the eBiz system. As your renewal period arrives, the Department will send notification to your address of record to remind you that it's time to renew.
If you do not know your User Name and Password for online renewal, contact the Board by e-mail using the Quick Link in the right hand frame of this website.
Yes, Department rules still require the Business Standards Division to send a renewal notice to all licensees. However, if you don't receive a reminder, it's still your obligation to renew the license on time. Please be aware of the expiration date of your license and the process to renew it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If a renewal notice is sent to an outdated address, the Board is under no obligation to send an additional notice to a new address. It is the licensee’s responsibility to make sure the Board has a current and correct address.
What about a Physician who is retired, retiring or doesn’t expect to practice in the next couple of years. What options do I have?
You should be careful about changing your license status. You cannot change your status on your own through eBiz. You must contact the Executive Officer about any change of license status.
The “Inactive” license status works best for physicians who plan to take a break from practicing in Montana for two years or less. Board rule ARM 24.156.618 states that any physician who stays on inactive status for more than two years must meet Board requirements before returning to “Active” status in Montana. Physicians who have not been in active practice anywhere during that time will have to meet additional requirements set by the Board. For details, please visit and review ARM 24.156.618.
NOTE: "Inactive" licensees who wish to return to "Active" status must pay the difference between the "Inactive" and "Active" renewal fee prior to the change being made and will be assessed the $60 fee for the Montana Prescription Drug Registry for that license period. (As of 2019 renewals, an Inactive renewal costs $250 and the MPDR fee is waived.) Consequently, physicians may want to consider paying the full $500 renewal fee and MPDR fee for an active license to retain their ability to practice at any time during the license period.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Board holds six regularly scheduled meetings per calendar year, usually in odd-numbered months.
Information on Board and committee meetings is posted on the Board’s website.
Emergency or special meetings may be held by conference call with at least three days notice on the BOME website. These meetings typically are called so the board can decide a single issue that must be addressed quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the Montana Administrative Procedure Act, any state entity must issue a public notice that it is about to change its administrative rules. There are three ways to make a rules change:
Public notices about rulemaking are posted on the Board’s website and are mailed to licensees and interested parties. Rulemaking notices also are available through the Montana Administrative Register at the Montana Secretary of State’s office, where all administrative rules for the state are housed. The Secretary of State’s website for administrative rules is www.mtrules.org. You can use that website to view rules and subscribe to the Montana Administrative Register, among other things.
If the Board wishes to undertake a rules change, it first must post a Notice of Proposed Amendment/Adoption/Repeal, or Proposal Notice. This notice will show the existing rule language and note text to be deleted as stricken and new text as underlined. The Board is not allowed to simply show the amended rule in its final form.
Then, following a public comment period, which usually includes a public rules hearing held by the Department, the Board must post a Notice of Adoption that notes the Board’s responses to public comments and includes any changes to the original proposal, using the same stricken and underlined format.
Each Proposal Notice must contain information about how to submit a comment on the rules change proposal. In addition, a public hearing is held at the Business Standards Division where individuals can make oral presentations and submit written comment.
Written comments are accepted in any form until a deadline date established in the Notice.
All public comments are presented to the Board at a public meeting, at which time the Board responds to the substance of all comments received.
Not until the Secretary of State updates and publishes the ARM (Administrative Rules of Montana) with the amended rule(s) on its website and in hard copy. Because of the volume of work at the Secretary of State and the nature of the rule publishing calendar, it may be several months between the Board’s adoption of new rules and their publication on the web.
Until that point, the only way to assess any new rule is to compare the former version with the Notice of Proposal and Notice of Adoption. Board members, Board staff and other Department of Labor and Industry employees are prohibited from providing the public with a “clean” unofficial version of the new rule and must, instead, refer individuals to the Secretary of State website and the rule notices.
Let’s say there’s a new or amended rule that’s critical to my practice as a professional. If I must follow it—or hold others accountable to it—but it’s not yet published on the Secretary of State’s website, can I take the rule notices and make my own “clean” version of the amended rule and rely on that until the official version is published?
The Board understands that licensees or other interested parties may be keenly interested in the final language of a new rule for multiple reasons, including their desire to comply with it or hold others to it. And while it discourages individuals from creating their own unofficial “clean copies” from the parts provided by existing rules and rule notices, the Board cannot prohibit individuals from doing so.
Just be aware that no rule is truly “official” unless it is published by the Secretary of State. It is possible, if unlikely, that a rule might undergo a change during SoS review to correct typographical errors or resolve small deviations from standard rulemaking structure and language. Nobody should rely on an unofficial rule or distribute it to others.
NOTE: Board members and Department employees may not distribute any unofficial versions of rules to the public and must—emphasize MUST—refer the public to the Secretary of State website for the official versions of rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, an ECP licensed at an EMT with a medication endorsement, AEMT, or Paramedic level may administer Covid-19 vaccines under the following circumstances:
The ECP’s medical director or the supervising physician is responsible for determining whether the ECP has the proper education, training, knowledge, and skill to perform any task(s) delegated to the ECP. Please consult the statutes and rules related to ECP practice located under Title 50, Chapter 6, MCA, and ARM 24.156.2701 et seq., as well as the Montana Statewide ECP Guidelines for additional information.
You’ll need to accomplish a couple of things: attend and successfully complete an ECP training course, successfully pass a written and practical examination demonstrating your knowledge and skills, and become licensed to provide care as an ECP. The first step is to find a training program that you can attend.
Montana’s Administrative Rules governing EMT licensure begin at ARM 24.156.2711
There’s also information available at www.emt.mt.gov.
Montana does not offer true reciprocity with other states. However, Montana will accept either of the following as proof of licensure/certification:
I’ve downloaded the ECP licensure application and the instructions say I need a verification form from every state in which I’ve ever been licensed. Does this include the National Registry?
No, but as referenced in the previous question, if you are registered by NREMT, you must provide a copy of your current NREMT card or registration statement in addition to these verification.
My ambulance service director wants me to coordinate a ECP course, where do I find the application and what is required?
This information is in the ECP-specific area of the Board's website, look for the “Instructor” tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Board of Medical Examiners licenses nutritionists, not dietitians. According to MCA 37-25-102 (9), "Nutritionist" means:
(a) a person licensed under this chapter; or
(b) a person who has satisfactorily completed a baccalaureate and master's or a doctoral degree in the field of dietetics, food and nutrition, or public health nutrition conferred by an accredited college or university.
Additionally, MCA 37-25-301 states:
37-25-301. Scope of dietetic-nutrition practice. Only a nutritionist can provide the following services:
(1) assessing the nutrition needs of individuals and groups and determining resources and constraints in the practice setting;
(2) establishing priorities and objectives that meet nutritive needs and are consistent with available resources and constraints;
(3) providing nutrition counseling for any individual;
(4) developing, implementing, and managing nutrition care systems; and
(5) evaluating, adjusting, and maintaining appropriate standards of quality in food and nutrition services.
To receive a nutritionist license, an applicant must be a Registered Dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR.) The Board does not recognize certifications or titles issued by other organizations for applicants seeking Nutritionist licensure.
In addition to a complete Montana application for licensure, applicants must provide to the Board:
Frequently Asked Questions
The Board has taken steps to make the licensing process for physicians faster and smoother. However, the applicant has the ultimate responsibility for providing the Board with the information it needs to make a licensing decision.
Currently, an applicant for a physician license must provide the Board with:
At the BOME, physicians have three options for applying for a license:
1) Downloading a traditional paper application from the BOME website. The application will include information on fees, as well as the documentation you will need to provide to the Board in order for your application to be considered “complete.” You then will mail the application to the Board for review.
2) Applying online. Please use the Quick Link in the right hand frame of this website to access the online application portal in the Department's "dBiz" website.
3) Using the Federation of State Medical Boards’ online “Uniform Application.” The UA is designed for physicians who practice in multiple states and wish to complete the application online.
The Federation also offers the “Federation Credentials Verification Service” to assist applicants with education and license verifications. This service is NOT an application for licensure and requires a fee, payable to the Federation.
It’s important to know that the UA and FCVS are separate processes; if you decide to use both, then both must be complete for your application to be accepted. In addition, you also must fulfill all of the State of Montana’s other application requirements.
NOTE: The Federation charges a once-per-lifetime fee of $50 for using the UA. This is separate from the Montana license application fee and is paid to the Federation, not to the state.
I’m a medical resident nearing graduation. I have a prospective employer who needs to start my credentialing before I graduate so I can start work immediately after completing the residency. May I have my license before I graduate?
Under state law, the Board of Medical Examiners requires completion of a residency prior to licensure. However, the Board recognizes the challenges of employing a resident immediately following graduation. In order to accommodate graduating residents and their prospective employers, while recognizing the statutory requirements for licensure, the following procedure has been put into place:
A medical resident approaching graduation may apply to the Board for a Physician license as much as (but no more than) 6 months in advance of the graduation date. (December 31 for a graduation date of June 30.) The application must include a letter from the residency director attesting that the applicant is in good standing and is expected to graduate on time.
The Department will process the application.
Once the application has been declared “complete” (including the letter from the residency director) it will be sent to the Executive Officer for review. If necessary, it will be brought before the Board at its next available public meeting. The Board may require further information from the applicant or the residency before a full-term Physician license is issued.
I’m a health facility administrator. I need to get a specialist on staff quickly to serve a pressing need in the community. Can the process go faster?
The Board has implemented a rule allowing for “expedited process” of an application that meets certain criteria. To see the criteria, please see ARM 24.156.603. There is no special form for applying by expedited process; you should alert the Board office if the application meets the criteria.
In general, the Business Standards Division's Licensing Bureau staff address each application as it arrives, then update incomplete applications as additional information is received. There is no prohibition on making staff aware of special circumstances surrounding a particular applicant; however, there also is no obligation for staff to take those circumstances into consideration when reviewing a license application.
In general, the best way to insure a smooth and less time-consuming review process is to get the Board all the information it needs as quickly as possible. That includes information detailing any personal or professional issues an applicant has in his/her background.
Application: $375.
"Active" Renewal: $375 (every two years.)
"Inactive" Renewal: $190 (every two years.)
Are Physicians in Montana required to acquire Continuing Medical Education to acquire or renew a license?
No. Montana does not require Physicians to acquire CME in order to acquire or renew a license.
Frequently Asked Questions
An applicant for Physician Assistant licensure will need to submit the following:
How long will it take to receive my physician assistant license once the Board receives the completed application and all other materials?
If the application is "routine," and there are no circumstances that require Executive Officer or Board review, a Physician Assistant license typically is issued within 10-14 days.
The total amount of time depends on a number of factors, including:
If the application is considered "non-routine" there may be a delay in the processing of the application. The applicant may be notified to submit additional information as required or may be required to appear before the Board for a personal interview during a regularly scheduled Board meeting.
A Physician Assistant with fewer than 8,000 hours of postgraduate clinical experience shall practice medicine with a collaborative agreement between the physician assistant and one or more collaborating providers, who may be:
Under what circumstances does a revision to the “supervision agreement” have to be submitted to the Board for approval?
None. Only new supervision agreements are submitted to the Board for approval. However, when a supervision agreement is terminated by either the Physician or Physician Assistant, it is the responsibility of both the Physician and PA to notify the Board of the date of termination.
A physician assistant with fewer than 8,000 hours of postgraduate clinical experience shall practice medicine with a collaborative agreement between the physician assistant and one or more collaborating providers, who may be:
What is the maximum period a Physician Assistant is authorized to prescribe, dispense or administer of schedule II drugs listed in 50-32-224, MCA?
34 days as in MCA 37-20-404, which has been effective since October 1, 1995.
As stated in ARM 24.156.1621, you must report the following:
1. A physician assistant shall report to the board within 30 days from the date of a final judgment, order, or agency action, all information related to malpractice, misconduct, criminal, or disciplinary action in which the physician assistant or the physician assistant's supervisor, based on the physician assistant's conduct, is a named party.
2. A physician assistant shall, within 10 days of receipt of a complaint from the Board, provide the Board with the name of the supervising physician who is responsible under the supervision agreement to which the complaint is related.
3. A physician assistant with suspected or known impairment shall self-report to the Board or the Board endorsed professional assistant program (MPAP).
4. A physician assistant is obligated to report suspected or known impairment of other health care providers to the appropriate licensing board, agency or to the endorsed professional assistance program.
The Board also requests that you report the termination of a supervision agreement and any address or name change within 30 days.
The Board also requests that you report the termination of a supervision agreement and any address or name change within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
The licensing requirements for podiatrists are outlined in Montana statutes, beginning at MCA 37-6-301.
Administrative rules for podiatrist license applications begin at ARM 24.156.1002.
I want to be certified to do ankle surgery in Montana. Do I have to do anything else beyond applying for a license?
Yes, you also must apply for a Montana certification in ankle surgery. You must demonstrate that you either have been Board-certified in ankle surgery, certified for the procedure in another state, or that you have completed an approved surgical residency. You also must pay an additional $75.00 fee.
The standards for certification can be found at ARM 24.156.1003.
Frequently Asked Questions
