Nevada

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	Yes
FCVS	Accepted
NP Independent Practice	Yes
PA Independent Practice	Yes
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	Yes
Max NPs per Physician	No Limit
Max PAs per Physician	No Limit

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$600
Renewal Fee	$800
Renewal Cycle	Biennial
Annualized Cost	$400
Controlled Substance Registration	Yes ($200 per biennial cycle)

Endorsement & Reciprocity

Not yet researched — whether this state offers license-by-endorsement or reciprocity, and its prerequisites, is being verified.

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APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: MD must be licensed in NV.

Nurse Practitioners

NPs can practice independently in Nevada.

• Maximum NPs per physician: No Limit (FPA)

Physician Assistants

PAs can practice independently in Nevada.

• Maximum PAs per physician: No Limit

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	40 hours
Category 1 Minimum	40 hours
Cycle	Biennial
Ethics / Jurisprudence	2 hrs/cycle
Opioid / SUD	2 hrs/cycle
Suicide Prevention	Required per cycle
Other	2 hrs one-time
Jurisprudence Exam	Not required

Fingerprint Requirements

Detail	Info
Required	Yes
FBI Check	Yes
Method	LiveScan / Ink cards (FD-258)
Out-of-State Options	Available

Malpractice Insurance

Malpractice insurance: Not yet verified — whether this state mandates professional liability coverage as a condition of licensure is being researched.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: Failure to pay biennial registration fee/complete registration causes the license to practice medicine to expire.
• Lapse consequences: Reinstatement within 2 years requires paying twice the current biennial registration fee plus submitting all required information; after 2 years the license cannot be reinstated at all and the person must apply as a new applicant and sit for examination.
• Voluntary surrender: Not available — Nevada's only codified 'voluntary surrender' procedure (NAC 630.240) is expressly for licensees surrendering WHILE under investigation/pending discipline; surrender is not effective until accepted by the Board in a public meeting, is deemed disciplinary action, is reported to national databases, and triggers a 1-10 year bar on reapplying. Nevada's non-disciplinary exit mechanism is 'retired status' (NAC 630.167), not a surrender.
• Reinstatement: Reinstatement within 2 years of expiration requires double fee, complete information, and a finding by the Board that the applicant is in good standing and qualified under the chapter; beyond 2 years, must apply as a new applicant and take the required examination.
• Exit in good standing: Available — A licensee may apply to change license status to 'retired' by written notice of intent to retire from active practice; Board grants retired status only if the licensee is in good standing with no pending complaints, investigations, or discipline.

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Quirks & Gotchas

Two Completely Separate Boards - MD vs. DO

• MDs (allopathic) are licensed by the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners** at medboard.nv.gov, governed by NRS Chapter 630.
• DOs (osteopathic) are licensed by the Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine** at bom.nv.gov, governed by NRS Chapter 633.
• These are entirely separate applications, separate fees, separate renewal cycles, and separate CME structures.
• In 2025, the Nevada legislature considered Senate Bill 78 to dissolve the DO board and consolidate under the MD board. It failed. So the split remains, but the ongoing political pressure is worth watching.
• The DO board also licenses PAs and Anesthesiologist Assistants, which creates a quirk where PAs can end up under either board depending on who supervises them.

Fees

• Application processing fee: $600
• Subsequent registration fee: $375–$750 (pro-rated based on when in the biennium the license is issued — this variability catches people off guard)
• Criminal background investigation fee: $75
• Total initial cost range: $1,050–$1,425 depending on timing
• Renewal: biennial (every 2 years), due June 30 of odd-numbered years
• Initial application fee: approximately $370 (significantly lower than the MD board)

Jurisprudence Exam

• Required for both MD and DO licensure.
• It is an open-book exam covering Nevada’s Medical Practice Act: NRS Chapters 629 and 630 (MDs) or NRS Chapter 633 (DOs).
• The board mails/sends the exam to the applicant after the application is received — you do not schedule it externally.
• No separate fee for the jurisprudence exam itself (it is bundled in the application process), but confirm this at time of application as fee structures update.

Fingerprints & Background Check

• Fingerprinting is required as part of the criminal background investigation (NRS 630.167 for MDs).
• The board sends the applicant a fingerprint authorization form and ink fingerprint cards after the application is received — you do not go to a Live Scan site. This is an ink card process, not electronic Live Scan, which adds mail turnaround time.
• Both FBI and state background checks are run.
• The $75 background investigation fee is separate from the application fee.

Exam Requirements

• Total attempts across all USMLE steps combined: 9 maximum**
• Step 3 specifically: 3 attempts maximum**
• Steps 1 and 2: no individual per-step limit beyond the 9 total
• 7-year time limit** to complete all three steps after passing the first one (MD candidates)
• MD/PhD combined degree holders get 10 years
• DOs using COMLEX: no attempt limits and no time limit — a meaningful advantage over MDs using USMLE
• DOs can use COMLEX in lieu of USMLE for the DO board
• Minimum 3 years of ACGME-accredited postgraduate training required (both boards)

CME & Mandatory Training

• Ethics, pain management, or addiction care (every renewal; per-topic hours are tracked in the state data)
• Controlled substance misuse and opioid prescribing (every renewal, if registered to prescribe controlled substances)
• Suicide detection, intervention, and prevention (recurring on a multi-cycle schedule)
• SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) — one-time requirement, must have been completed by the 2025 renewal period
• Bioterrorism/weapons of mass destruction consequences — one-time requirement, due within a set period after initial licensure
• HIV stigma, discrimination, and unrecognized bias toward persons with or at high risk of HIV — one-time requirement beginning with renewals on or after January 2024 (this is a newer and less-known mandate)
• Cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion (every renewal)
• Specialty-specific practice education makes up the largest required block
• Remaining hours: general medical education
• An annual Category 1A minimum also applies

Timeline

• Average: 10–14 weeks for a complete application
• Applications with any “yes” answers to adverse history questions (malpractice, board actions, criminal history, health impairment) take longer — no defined timeline, can extend to 6+ months
• The board explicitly warns: do not make employment commitments in Nevada until you hold your license number. This is printed in their instructions and is a real gotcha for physicians negotiating start dates.
• FCVS (Federation Credentials Verification Service) profiles are accepted and can speed processing.

Application Requirements

• Separate supplemental forms are required for: malpractice/professional liability claims history, moral and professional character affidavit, PGY/residency verification, prior state licensure verification, and post-graduate training documentation.
• Any gap in training or practice history of 30+ days typically requires a written explanation.
• IMGs must be ECFMG-certified before applying.
• The board requires an NPDB (National Practitioner Data Bank) self-query report.

Other Gotchas

• Controlled substance prescribing**: Nevada has separate requirements for prescribers of controlled substances, including additional CME and registration with the Nevada Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). This is not part of the base medical license but is a parallel requirement to operate clinically.
• In-office surgery**: Physicians performing office-based procedures must file sentinel event reports within 14 days of certain adverse outcomes.
• Telemedicine**: Nevada requires that a genuine patient-physician relationship be established before providing telemedicine services. The state has its own telemedicine standards beyond a standard license.
• Scam warning**: The board currently has an active fraud alert — scammers are impersonating board personnel and law enforcement to extort money from applicants. Do not pay anyone who contacts you unsolicited claiming to be the board.
• Malpractice reporting: Must report malpractice claims and settlements to the DO board within 45 days** of occurrence.
• Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners
• NRS Chapter 630 - Physicians
• NRS Chapter 633 - Osteopathic Medicine
• NV Osteopathic Board
• Nevada CME Requirements - MyCEApp

Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

Resources

• Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners
• FSMB State Licensure Directory
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Sources

Data compiled from state medical board websites, FSMB, and regulatory filings.

Have a correction or update? Let us know.