CHANGING NATURE OF PHYSICIAN LICENSURE - IMPLICATIONS FOR MEDICAL-EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA

Recent upheavals within health care delivery, technological advances, and changing attitudes among consumers have challenged and changed hea lth professions licensure. At the same time, traditional regulatory fr ameworks remain in place. Beginning with a comparison of California's physician regulation with other states, we explore this tension betwee n established regulatory systems and emerging reforms. Current trends in regulatory reform across the United States and in California includ e efforts to standardize practice requirements, expand scopes of pract ice for nonphysicians, and restructure boards. Because of these trends , medical educators will be expected to prepare physicians to practice under increased scrutiny and expectations of accountability; promote interdisciplinary education, training, and practice; and step up the e fforts toward uniformity in medical education, training, and practice.