The board shall issue a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate to an applicant who meets all of the following requirements:

(a) The applicant holds an unlimited license as a physician and surgeon in another state or states, or in a Canadian province or Canadian provinces, which was issued upon:

(1) Successful completion of a resident course of professional instruction leading to a degree of medical doctor from a board-approved medical school pursuant to Section 2084.

(2) Taking and passing a written examination that is recognized by the board to be equivalent in content to that administered in California.

(b) The applicant has held an unrestricted license to practice medicine, in a state or states, in a Canadian province or Canadian provinces, or as a member of the active military, United States Public Health Services, or other federal program, for a period of at least four years. Any time spent by the applicant in an approved postgraduate training program or clinical fellowship acceptable to the board shall not be included in the calculation of this four-year period.

(c) The board determines that no disciplinary action has been taken against the applicant by any medical licensing authority and that the applicant has not been the subject of adverse judgments or settlements resulting from the practice of medicine that the board determines constitutes evidence of a pattern of negligence or incompetence.

(d) The applicant (1) has satisfactorily completed at least one year of approved postgraduate training and is certified by a specialty board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties or approved by the board pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 651, (2) has satisfactorily completed at least two years of approved postgraduate training, or (3) has satisfactorily completed at least one year of approved postgraduate training and takes and passes the clinical competency written examination.

(e) The applicant has not committed any acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of a certificate under Division 1.5 (commencing with Section 475) or Article 12 (commencing with Section 2220).

(f) Any application received from an applicant who has held an unrestricted license to practice medicine, in a state or states, or Canadian province or Canadian provinces, or as a member of the active military, United States Public Health Services, or other federal program for four or more years shall be reviewed and processed pursuant to this section. Any time spent by the applicant in an approved postgraduate training program or clinical fellowship acceptable to the board shall not be included in the calculation of this four-year period. This subdivision does not apply to applications that may be reviewed and processed pursuant to Section 2151.

(g) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2020.

(Amended (as added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 775, Sec. 64) by Stats. 2018, Ch. 571, Sec. 6. (SB 1480) Effective January 1, 2019.)