Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 370 - Medicine and Surgery
Section 20-9. - Who may practice medicine or surgery.

(a) No person shall, for compensation, gain or reward, received or expected, diagnose, treat, operate for or prescribe for any injury, deformity, ailment or disease, actual or imaginary, of another person, nor practice surgery, until he has obtained such a license as provided in section 20-10, and then only in the kind or branch of practice stated in such license.

(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:
(1) Dentists while practicing dentistry only;
(2) Any person in the employ of the United States government while acting in the scope of his employment;
(3) Any person who furnishes medical or surgical assistance in cases of sudden emergency;
(4) Any person residing out of this state who is employed to come into this state to render temporary assistance to or consult with any physician or surgeon who has been licensed in conformity with the provisions of this chapter;
(5) Any physician or surgeon residing out of this state who holds a current license in good standing in another state and who is employed to come into this state to treat, operate or prescribe for any injury, deformity, ailment or disease from which the person who employed such physician, or the person on behalf of whom such physician is employed, is suffering at the time when such nonresident physician or surgeon is so employed, provided such physician or surgeon may practice in this state without a Connecticut license for a period not to exceed thirty consecutive days;
(6) Any person rendering service as (A) an advanced practice registered nurse if such service is rendered in accordance with section 20-87a, or (B) an advanced practice registered nurse maintaining classification from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists if such service is under the direction of a licensed physician;
(7) Any nurse-midwife practicing nurse-midwifery in accordance with the provisions of chapter 377;
(8) Any podiatrist licensed in accordance with the provisions of chapter 375;
(9) Any Christian Science practitioner who does not use or prescribe in his practice any drugs, poisons, medicines, chemicals, nostrums or surgery;
(10) Any person licensed to practice any of the healing arts named in section 20-1, who does not use or prescribe in his practice any drugs, medicines, poisons, chemicals, nostrums or surgery;
(11) Any graduate of any school or institution giving instruction in the healing arts who has been issued a permit in accordance with subsection (a) of section 20-11a and who is serving as an intern, resident or medical officer candidate in a hospital;
(12) Any student participating in a clinical clerkship program who has the qualifications specified in subsection (b) of section 20-11a;
(13) Any person, otherwise qualified to practice medicine in this state except that he is a graduate of a medical school located outside of the United States or the Dominion of Canada which school is recognized by the American Medical Association or the World Health Organization, to whom the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, subject to such regulations as the Commissioner of Public Health, with advice and assistance from the board, prescribes, has issued a permit to serve as an intern or resident in a hospital in this state for the purpose of extending his education;
(14) Any person rendering service as a physician assistant licensed pursuant to section 20-12b, a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse or a paramedic, as defined in section 19a-175, acting within the scope of regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-179, if such service is rendered under the supervision, control and responsibility of a licensed physician;
(15) Any student enrolled in an accredited physician assistant program or paramedic program approved in accordance with regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-179, who is performing such work as is incidental to his course of study;
(16) Any person who, on June 1, 1993, has worked continuously in this state since 1979 performing diagnostic radiology services and who, as of October 31, 1997, continued to render such services under the supervision, control and responsibility of a licensed physician solely within the setting where such person was employed on June 1, 1993;
(17) Any person practicing athletic training, as defined in section 20-65f;
(18) When deemed by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board to be in the public's interest, based on such considerations as academic attainments, specialty board certification and years of experience, to a foreign physician or surgeon whose professional activities shall be confined within the confines of a recognized medical school;
(19) Any technician engaging in tattooing in accordance with the provisions of section 20-266o or 20-266p and any regulations adopted thereunder;
(20) Any person practicing perfusion, as defined in section 20-162aa;
(21) Any foreign physician or surgeon (A) participating in supervised clinical training under the direct supervision and control of a physician or surgeon licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and (B) whose professional activities are confined to a licensed hospital that has a residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or that is a primary affiliated teaching hospital of a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. Such hospital shall verify that the foreign physician or surgeon holds a current valid license in another country; or
(22) Any person practicing as a nuclear medicine technologist, as defined in section 20-74uu, while performing under the supervision and direction of a physician licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
(c) This section shall not authorize anyone to practice optometry, as defined in chapter 380, or to practice dentistry, as defined in chapter 379, or dental hygiene, as defined in chapter 379a.
(d) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall apply to any individual whose practice of medicine includes any ongoing, regular or contractual arrangement whereby, regardless of residency in this or any other state, he provides, through electronic communications or interstate commerce, diagnostic or treatment services, including primary diagnosis of pathology specimens, slides or images, to any person located in this state. In the case of electronic transmissions of radiographic images, licensure shall be required for an out-of-state physician who provides, through an ongoing, regular or contractual arrangement, official written reports of diagnostic evaluations of such images to physicians or patients in this state. The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to a nonresident physician who, while located outside this state, consults (A) on an irregular basis with a physician licensed by section 20-10 who is located in this state or (B) with a medical school within this state for educational or medical training purposes. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any individual who regularly provides the types of services described in this subsection pursuant to any agreement or arrangement with a short-term acute care general hospital, licensed by the Department of Public Health, provided such agreement or arrangement was entered into prior to February 1, 1996, and is in effect as of October 1, 1996.
(e) On and after October 1, 1999, any person licensed as an osteopathic physician or osteopath pursuant to chapter 371 shall be deemed licensed as a physician and surgeon pursuant to this chapter.
(1949 Rev., S. 4363; 1949, 1951, S. 2191d; 1959, P.A. 393, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 717; 1972, P.A. 80, S. 1; P.A. 75-39, S. 1; P.A. 77-519, S. 4, 6; 77-614, S. 349, 610; P.A. 84-546, S. 157, 173; P.A. 86-20; 86-403, S. 130, 132; P.A. 88-362, S. 1; P.A. 89-389, S. 4, 22; P.A. 90-211, S. 2, 23; P.A. 93-296, S. 7, 10; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 94-105, S. 2, 4; P.A. 95-98; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-148; P.A. 97-311, S. 17; P.A. 98-43, S. 3; P.A. 98-166, S. 5, 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 18, 121; P.A. 99-102, S. 2; 99-168, S. 5; P.A. 00-47, S. 2; 00-226, S. 11, 20; P.A. 03-252, S. 8; P.A. 05-280, S. 76, 77; P.A. 10-117, S. 61; P.A. 13-208, S. 67; 13-234, S. 138; P.A. 14-12, S. 2; 14-231, S. 45; P.A. 19-118, S. 60; P.A. 21-121, S. 97.)
History: 1959 act added exceptions from provisions of chapter re interns and hospital residents; 1971 act excepted trained assistants, registered or licensed practical nurses under supervision and control of licensed physician from provisions of chapter and added qualifying provision re optometry and dentistry; 1972 act rephrased exception re graduates of “foreign” medical schools to specify schools “located outside of the United States or the Dominion of Canada” and added exception re foreign physicians; P.A. 75-39 qualified exception re schools attended outside of U.S. or Canada by specifying applicability to schools “recognized by the American Medical Association or the World Health Organization”; P.A. 77-519 deleted proviso whereby exception for foreign physicians is inapplicable if physician declares intention of becoming U.S. citizen and deleted reference to failure to meet residence and citizenship requirements in exception for those attending recognized school outside of U.S. or Canada; P.A. 77-614 transferred regulation power from board to commissioner of health services, granting board an advisory role, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-546 made technical changes to section substituting references to licensure for references to certification; P.A. 86-20 removed a three-year limitation on the exception for a foreign physician practicing in a medical school and added language requiring the Connecticut medical examining board to determine if an exception for a foreign physician is in the public interest; P.A. 86-403 changed effective date of P.A. 86-20 from October 1, 1986, to April 21, 1986; P.A. 88-362 limited the exception for students to persons participating in clinical clerkships and limited the graduate exception to persons who have been issued a permit; P.A. 89-389 added references to advanced practice registered nurses and to nurse-midwives; P.A. 90-211 added exemptions for “licensed” physician assistants and athletic trainers; P.A. 93-296 added provision exempting persons performing diagnostic radiology services from chapter provisions, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-105 designated provisions re prohibition on practicing without a license as Subsec. (a), exceptions to such prohibition as Subsec. (b) and provisions re authorization to practice optometry, dentistry or dental hygiene as Subsec. (c) and amended Subsec. (b) to insert Subdiv. indicators and add Subdiv. (19) re exception for technicians engaged in tattooing, effective May 23, 1994; P.A. 95-98 amended Subsec. (b) to specifically exclude paramedics from provisions of chapter; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-148 added Subsec. (d) concerning telemedicine; P.A. 97-311 amended reference to paramedics to reflect licensure under Sec. 20-206ll; P.A. 98-43 paragraphed the numbered Subdivs. in Subsec. (b), changed “1978” to “1979” and “continues” to “as of October 31, 1997, continued” in Subdiv. (16); P.A. 98-166 amended Subsec. (b)(11) to add medical officer candidates, effective June 4, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 made a technical change re a statutory reference in Subsec. (c), effective June 24, 1998; P.A. 99-102 added new Subsec. (e) re osteopathic physicians; P.A. 99-168 amended Subsec. (b)(6) by replacing “under the direction of” with “in collaboration with” and adding Subpara. (B) re advanced practice registered nurses under the direction of a physician if maintaining certain classification; P.A. 00-47 amended Subsec. (b)(14) by changing “licensed paramedic” to “paramedic, as defined in Sec. 19a-175(15), acting within the scope of regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-179”; P.A. 00-226 amended Subsec. (b)(17) by changing “performing” to “practicing”, deleting reference to Sec. 19a-16a and adding reference to Sec. 20-65f, effective the later of October 1, 2000, or the date notice is published by the Commissioner of Public Health in the Connecticut Law Journal indicating that the licensing of athletic trainers and physical therapist assistants is being implemented by the commissioner, i.e. April 11, 2006; P.A. 03-252 amended Subsec. (b)(5) to require out-of-state physician to be licensed in good standing and to allow such physician to practice without Connecticut license for period not to exceed 30 consecutive days; P.A. 05-280 added Subsec. (b)(20) re exception for persons practicing perfusion; P.A. 10-117 added Subsec. (b)(21) re exception for foreign physician or surgeon with current valid license in another country who is participating in supervised clinical training in a licensed hospital, effective June 8, 2010; P.A. 13-208 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (22) re nuclear medicine technologist and making technical changes, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-234 amended Subsec. (b)(19) by substituting reference to Secs. 20-266o and 20-266p for reference to Sec. 19a-92a, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 14-12 amended Subsec. (b)(6)(A) by replacing “collaboration with a licensed physician” with “accordance with section 20-87a”, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 14-231 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (22) re nuclear medicine technologist, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 19-118 amended Subsec. (b)(14) by replacing “(15)” with “(14)”, effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 21-121 amended Subsec. (b)(14) by deleting reference to Sec. 19a-175(14), effective July 6, 2021.

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