Starting residency · NV
Starting residency in Nevada
Nevada requires residents to hold a training license from the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners: the Limited license to practice medicine as a resident physician. Nevada has no state income tax on wages.
Training license
- Status
- Training license required
- Called
- Limited license to practice medicine as a resident physician
- Fee
- $425 ($300 application, $50 registration, $75 background check); renewal $50
- Renewal
- Issued for up to 1 year and renewable; each renewal needs an annual report signed by the program director
Who applies: Resident; the sponsoring institution sends written confirmation of the appointment, and the program director certifies renewals.
Nevada law has no licensure exemption for residents, so every MD resident without a full Nevada license holds this limited license. It covers practice in connection with residency duties or under conditions the program director approves. For non-citizens it lasts only as long as their work authorization. Residents from other states rotating in Nevada use a separate rotating resident license.
Full license: MD: after 36 months of progressive postgraduate training, or while in a program with less than 12 months remaining and a written commitment to finish (2025 statute); IMGs also need ECFMG certification. DO: after 3 years, or after 24 months in a Nevada program with a written commitment to finish. A full license matters if you plan to moonlight.
State income tax
No state income tax on wages.
Source: taxfoundation.org
Match Day to your first loan payment
Assumes you enroll in RAP or IBR when the grace period ends, recertify once a year, and file each tax return by April. Your servicer's dates govern.
Mid-March
Match Day
You learn where you'll train. Your program sends its residency (GME) agreement and onboarding steps.
March–April
Nevada training license
Apply for your Nevada training license as soon as your program sends instructions. Applications often need school records and background checks that take weeks.
April–June
Credentialing and onboarding
Hospital credentialing, health screening, payroll and benefits forms, and a DEA registration if your program requires one.
Late June–July 1
Move and start
Intern orientation usually starts in the last week of June. When the first paycheck arrives depends on the hospital's payroll schedule, so budget for a few weeks of moving costs without one.
About 6 months after graduation
Federal loan grace period ends
Payments start 6 months after you leave school. Choose a plan before then, or request residency forbearance, during which interest accrues and months don't count toward PSLF.
First year of payments
Payments use last year's income
RAP and IBR use the adjusted gross income on your most recent tax return, which for most new residents is a student year. Payments rise after you recertify with a resident's income.
DO residents get a special resident license from the separate Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine: $200 for the license and each renewal, valid up to 1 year, with renewals due 90 days before expiration. The program's residency coordinator must sponsor the resident in that board's portal first.
Related
- Compare RAP, IBR and Tiered Standard on a resident's income
- Nevada physician non-compete law, for when you sign your first attending contract
- All states
General information, checked on the date above. Board requirements and fees change; confirm with the Nevada State Board of Medical Examinersand your program before you apply.