District of Columbia Medical License

DC Board of Medicine

Contact information

899 North Capitol Street NE, First Floor
Washington, DC 20002
Telephone: (877) 672-2174
Fax: 202) 724-5145

Things you need to know

• Application Fee: $500
• Background Check Fee: $35.25
• DC Medical License Renewal: $675
• ECFMG Certificate Required or Considered: Yes
• There is an $805 fee payable to the D.C. Board of Medical Examiners, which is submitted with your application.

License requirements

• SPEX/COMVEX Requirement: May be ordered by DC Board of Medicine to assess current competence
• USMLE Attempt Limit: No attempt limit for Steps I – III. After three failed Step III attempts, one additional year of GME is required
• USMLE Time Limit: Must complete all three steps within seven years. (board may grant waiver)
• PGT (US/Canada
• Medical Graduate): 1 year
• PGT (International Medical Graduate): 3 years

Help applying to DC medical licensure

State description

Washington is the capital of the United States of America. Washington is not a part of any of the US states and is an independent administrative unit – the District of Columbia (DC).

The city was named after the first President of the United States – George Washington. To distinguish between the city of Washington and the state of Washington, when talking about the capital of the United States, they usually add the words “District of Columbia” (Washington, DC).

The history of Washington begins on July 9, 1790, when, shortly after the declaration of independence of the United States of America and the victory in the war with the British mother country, the US Congress decided to create the capital of the young state on the Potomac River. For more information, see the History of Washington, DC page.

Washington is bordered by the states of Virginia and Maryland. The Potomac River and its tributaries, the Anacostia and Rock Creek, flow through the District of Columbia.

Washington is characterized by a humid subtropical (or, according to another classification, oceanic) climate with pronounced seasons. Winters here are generally cool, with little snow. The average temperature of the coldest month, January, ranges from -2°C to 6°C. Sunny and dry spring comes to the city at the end of March. Then, during the flowering period of fruit trees (primarily Japanese cherry – sakura), the city is especially beautiful. In the second half of May, the temperature and humidity rise sharply, and summer begins. The average temperature in the hottest month of the year, July, ranges from 22°C to 32°C. In autumn and spring, it is warm. The first frosts usually begin in November.

Being the capital of the country, Washington is the center of the political life of the American state. Here is the residence of the President of the United States – the White house. In addition, Washington is home to the headquarters of many public and international organizations, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The City of Washington and the District of Columbia are governed by a mayor and a city council. However, the US Congress has the right to reverse any decision of the local authorities in Washington. Washington residents have their own delegate in the House of Representatives, but without the right to vote; the District of Columbia is not represented in the Senate. In general, residents of Washington have fewer rights in the US political system than residents of any of the states (for example, in local government); Because of this, proposals for granting the District of Columbia the status of a state (or at least delegating the corresponding rights) were repeatedly put forward, but all of them were rejected by Congress.

Washington is the twentieth largest city in the United States, with a population of more than 700,000. The population density in Washington is about 4,400 people/km2.

The District of Columbia is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metropolitan area, with more than 6,250,000 residents. This huge city, which extends far beyond the metropolitan area into Virginia, ranks sixth on the list of U.S. metropolitan areas.

The racial makeup of Washington, D.C.:

• White – about 45.6%
• Blacks (African Americans) – about 46.4%
• Asians – about 4.4%
• Native Americans-less than 1%
• Two or more races-about 2.8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race) – about 11%
• Non-Hispanic whites – about 37%

The largest ethnic groups in Washington are African Americans, Salvadorans, Mexicans, Guatemalans, Irish, Greeks, Germans, Jews, Poles, and Italians.

Washington is now divided administratively into four geographic quadrants – Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW). The central point of the city is a marble compass sign laid out on the floor of one of the rooms of the Capitol. Although the city was originally conceived as a regular square, now its borders have complex outlines and the Washington quadrants are very different in area (the largest of them is the Northwest, the smallest is the Southwest).

The District of Columbia is one of the largest educational centers in the United States. The most famous universities in the capital are George Washington University, Georgetown University and others.

The city is home to all the big four leagues of American sports, including the Washington Nationals baseball team, the Washington Redskins football team, the Washington Capitals hockey team, and the Washington Wizards basketball team.

Washington is home to an extremely large number of museums and memorials, most of which are located along the National Mall. This state is one of the most popular attractions in the United States of America.