Licensure requirements for out-of-state forensic examinations

Forensic clinicians, including psychiatrists, are sometimes asked to perfor m solely forensic (e.g., court- or litigation-related) assessments or inter views outside states in which they are licensed. A short survey was sent to all U.S. state medical licensing agencies asking whether or not a psychiat rist licensed in another state must also be licensed in the surveyed state before performing a purely forensic interview or examination. Of the 45 sta tes responding, 21 said that no additional "local" license would be require d; 6 gave unclear responses; and is said a local license would generally be required. At least 7 of the 18 states that generally require a local licen se accept unlicensed out-of-state physicians when they are requested by or consulting to an in-state physician. The state's definition of "medical pra ctice" figured heavily in many responses. No pattern of state size (area), population density, or geographic location was discerned. The materials rec eived, comments by board staff and attorneys, and interpretations or assump tions by the author are not to be construed as "official" for any state.