Prohibition against practice of medicine or osteopathy without license -- Exceptions
KRS 311.560
in effect311.560. Prohibition against practice of medicine or osteopathy without license -- Exceptions
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, no person shall engage or attempt to engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathy within this state, or open, maintain, or occupy an office or place of business within this state for engaging in practice, or in any manner announce or express a readiness to engage in practice within this state, unless the person holds a valid and effective license or permit issued by the board as hereinafter provided.
(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to:
(a) Commissioned medical officers of the Armed Forces of the United States, or medical officers of the United States Public Health Service, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and other agencies of the government of the United States of America, while said persons are engaged in the performance, within this state, of their official duties under federal laws;
(b) 1. Persons who, being nonresidents of Kentucky and lawfully licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in their states of actual residence, infrequently engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathy within this state, when called to see or attend particular patients in consultation and association with a physician licensed pursuant to this chapter; or 2. Persons who, being current participants in a medical residency program outside of Kentucky and lawfully licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the states of their medical residency programs, who participate in a temporary residency rotation of no more than sixty (60) days at a hospital in this Commonwealth. All persons who participate in a temporary residency rotation under this paragraph shall register with the board at no cost, on forms provided by the board, and shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the board for so long as they participate in the residency rotation. Persons who wish to participate in a second or subsequent temporary residency rotation under this paragraph shall seek advance approval of the board;
(c) Graduates of medical or osteopathic schools approved by the board, while engaged in performing supervised internship or first-year postgraduate training approved by the board at hospitals in this state. All first-year postgraduate trainees shall register with the board at no cost, on forms provided by the board. No first-year postgraduate trainee shall violate the provisions of KRS 311.595 or KRS 311.597, and any first-year postgraduate trainee who is released or discharged from a training program for a reason that falls within KRS 311.595 or 311.597 shall be reported by the program director to the board. A residency physician who participates in a temporary residency rotation under paragraph (b) of this subsection shall not be required to obtain a license under KRS 311.530 to 311.620;
(d) Physicians employed by a sports entity visiting Kentucky for a specific sporting event when the physician holds an active medical or osteopathic license in another state and limits the practice of medicine in Kentucky to medical treatment of the members, coaches, and staff of the sports entity that employs the physician; or
(e) Persons who are nonresidents of Kentucky and licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in their states of residence and are providing medical services as a charitable health-care provider in Kentucky through a nonprofit, all-volunteer sponsoring organization as provided for under KRS 216.940 to 216.945, after confirming to the board that their licenses are currently in good standing in their states of residence and having been issued a written waiver by the board to provide these services during the specific period stated in the written waiver.
Effective:June 29, 2017
History: Amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 42, sec. 17, effective June 29, 2017. -- Amended 2009 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 2, effective June 25, 2009. -- Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 96, sec. 10, effective June 26, 2007. -- Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 35, sec. 3, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 2002 Ky. Acts ch. 130, sec. 5, effective July 15, 2002. -- Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 291, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2000. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 228, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1990 Ky. Acts ch. 495, sec. 12, effective January 1, 1991. -- Amended 1972 Ky. Acts ch. 218, sec. 7. -- Created 1952 Ky. Acts ch. 150, sec. 3, effective June 19, 1952.
Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (legislature.ky.gov)URL: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=45843Fetched: 10/20/2026