Legal Limitation on the Practice of Medicine

As a Heritage College (HCOM) student, you will learn and demonstrate competency of knowledge in a broad range of health care areas during your four years of medical school. While your experience will start with learning in the classroom, you’ll advance to more practiced application of what you’ve learned in the third and fourth years. Even though you may have demonstrated mastery of content and application of skills, you are not legally able to practice medicine in any state until you have been appropriately licensed. There are serious penalties practicing medicine without a license. In Ohio, for instance, the violation of R.C. 4731.41 is a felony.

The health care sites established for your training are licensed, affiliated with Ohio University and supervised. The university’s medical malpractice insurance coverage is provided for you as a continuing student in good standing with HCOM. The clinicians who supervise the clinical education of students are approved and credentialed professionals. Sites without HCOM affiliation agreements and clinicians who have not been approved and credentialed by HCOM are not permitted as both create a risk to the college and to your continuing status as an HCOM student.

For more information, please contact Brenda Noftz at noftz@ohio.edu.