N.M. Stat. § 61-6-11 (2026)

A. The board may consider for licensure a person who is of good moral character, is
a graduate of an accredited United States or Canadian medical or osteopathic medical
school, has passed an examination approved by the board and has completed two
years of an approved postgraduate training program for physicians.

    B. An applicant who has not completed two years of an approved postgraduate
training program for physicians, but who otherwise meets all other licensing
requirements, may present evidence to the board of the applicant's other professional
experience for consideration by the board in lieu of the approved postgraduate training
program. The board shall, in its sole discretion, determine if the professional
experience is substantially equivalent to the required approved postgraduate training
program for physicians.

   C. A graduate of a board-approved medical or osteopathic medical school located
outside the United States or Canada may be granted a license to practice medicine in
New Mexico, provided the applicant presents evidence to the board that the applicant is
a person of good moral character and provided that the applicant presents satisfactory
evidence to the board that the applicant has successfully passed an examination as
required by the board and has successfully completed two years of postgraduate
medical training in an approved postgraduate training program for physicians. A
graduate of a medical school located outside the United States who successfully
completes at least two years of an approved postgraduate training program for
physicians at or affiliated with an institution located in New Mexico prior to December
30, 2007 and who meets the other requirements of this section may also be granted a
license to practice medicine.

   D. All applicants for licensure may be required to appear personally before the
board or a designated agent for an interview.

   E. An applicant for licensure by examination shall not be granted a license if the
applicant has taken the examination in two or more steps and has failed to successfully
pass the final step within seven years of the date that the first step was passed. An
applicant for licensure who holds a medical or osteopathic doctor degree and a doctoral
degree in a medically related field must successfully complete the entire examination
series within ten years from the date the first step of the examination is passed. The
board may, by rule, establish exceptions to the time requirements of this subsection.

   F. Every applicant for licensure under this section shall pay the fees required by
Section 61-6-19 NMSA 1978.

   G. The board may require fingerprints and other information necessary for a state
and national criminal background check.

History: Laws 1923, ch. 44, § 3; C.S. 1929, § 110-104; Laws 1939, ch. 80, § 1; 1941
Comp., § 51-504; 1953 Comp., § 67-5-4; Laws 1959, ch. 189, § 1; 1969, ch. 46, § 3;
1976, ch. 16, § 1; 1983, ch. 260, § 1; 1978 Comp., § 61-6-10, recompiled as § 61-6-11
by Laws 1989, ch. 269, § 7; 1994, ch. 80, § 5; 1997, ch. 221, § 2; 2001, ch. 96, § 2;
2003, ch. 19, § 12; 2005, ch. 159, § 1; 2021, ch. 54, § 27.

                                    ANNOTATIONS

Recompilations. — Laws 1989, ch. 269, § 8 recompiled former 61-6-11 NMSA 1978,
relating to criminal offender's character evaluation, as 61-6-12 NMSA 1978, effective
July 1, 1989.

Cross references. — For the Parental Responsibility Act, see 40-5A-1 NMSA 1978 et
seq.

The 2021 amendment, effective June 18, 2021, provided that a graduate of an
accredited osteopathic medical school, having met other requirements, may be
considered for licensure by the New Mexico medical board, clarified acceptable training
programs required to be considered for physician licensure, and removed a provision
that a candidate for physician licensure must be in compliance with United States
immigration laws; after each occurrence of "approved postgraduate training program",
added "for physicians" throughout; in the section heading, added "Physician"; in
Subsection A, after "Canadian medical", added "or osteopathic medical"; in Subsection
C, after "good moral character", deleted "and is in compliance with the United States
immigration laws"; and in Subsection E, after "who holds a medical", added "or
osteopathic".

The 2005 amendment, effective April 5, 2005, in Subsection A, provided that the board
may consider for licensure a person who is a graduate of an accredited United States or
Canadian medical school; in Subsection C, provided that a graduate of a medical school
located outside the United States who completes two years of postgraduate training at
or affiliated with an institution located in New Mexico prior to December 30, 2007 and
who is otherwise qualified may be granted a license to practice medicine; and in
Subsection E, provided that the board may by rule establish exceptions to the time
requirements of Subsection E.

The 2003 amendment, effective June 20, 2003, rewrote this section to the extent that a
detailed comparison is impracticable.

The 2001 amendment, effective April 2, 2001, added Subsection H and renumbered
the remaining subsection accordingly.

The 1997 amendment, effective June 20, 1997, inserted "of good moral character and
is" preceding "a graduate" in Subsection A and inserted "of good moral character and
after" preceding "successfully" in Subsection E.

The 1994 amendment, effective May 18, 1994, amended the section heading, which
read "Licensure by examination - Admission to examination - Graduates of foreign
colleges"; substituted "two years" for "one year" and deleted "approved by the board in
accordance with its regulations" following "training" in Subsection A; added Subsections
B and C and redesignated former Subsections B through F as Subsections D through F,
respectively; substituted "a board-approved licensing examination" for "the examination
as prescribed by the federation of state boards of medical examiners" in Subsection D;
in Subsection F, deleted "and its possessions" following "outside the United States,"
substituted "the applicant" for "he" four times, substituted "is in compliance with the
United States immigration laws" for "is a legal resident of the United States," substituted
"an examination as required by the board and" for "the examination as required and
given by the educational council for foreign medical graduates" and substituted "training
in a board-approved program" for "education and also successfully passes the
examination as prescribed by the board"; substituted "a" for "any" in Subsection G; and
substituted "the fees required by" for "an examination fee and an examination fee as
provided in" in Subsection H.

The 1989 amendment, effective July 1, 1989, renumbered this section, which formerly
was 61-6-10 NMSA 1978; added "Licensure by examination" to the catchline and
deleted therefrom "medical college in good standing defined" preceding "admission"; in
Subsection A, substituted "may admit" for "shall, upon production of evidence
satisfactory to it, admit" and "person" for "reputable person who has applied for
citizenship in the United States or is a citizen of the United States", inserted "or school",
substituted "Subsection D of Section 61-6-6 NMSA 1978" for "this section", and deleted
"in a hospital" following "training"; in Subsection B, substituted the present provisions for
the former definition of a "medical college in good standing"; added present Subsection
C; redesignated former Subsection C as present Subsection D; in present Subsection
D, substituted "and is a legal resident" for "and has applied for citizenship in the United
States or is a citizen", and inserted "has successfully completed two years of post-
graduate medical education"; deleted former Subsection D, relating to license by
endorsement and without examination for graduates of foreign medical colleges; added
Subsections E and F; and made minor stylistic changes throughout the section.

Reinstatement after license revocation. — Once a physician's license has been
revoked the only method of reinstating the former licensee to full privileges is by means
of reapplication. 1953 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 53-5839.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 61 Am. Jur. 2d Physicians, Surgeons
and Other Healers §§ 55 to 60.

Tort claim for negligent credentialing of physician, 98 A.L.R.5th 533.

70 C.J.S. Physicians, Surgeons, and Other Health-Care Providers §§ 19, 20.