Licence to practise (Berufsausübungsbewilligung)

A licence to practise (Berufsausübungsbewilligung) is a canton's authorisation to practise a university medical profession, for example as a physician, under one's own professional responsibility. It is granted by the canton in whose territory the profession is practised, and without it the profession may not be practised in this way (Art. 34 para. 1 MedBG).

Requirements

Under the Medical Professions Act (MedBG), the licence requires (Art. 36 para. 1 and 2 MedBG):

• a federal diploma;
• trustworthiness, and the physical and mental fitness to practise the profession properly;
• knowledge of an official language of the canton;
• for physicians, in addition, a federal postgraduate title (eidgenössischer Weiterbildungstitel).

The diploma and the postgraduate title are federal qualifications; the licence itself is granted by the canton.

Licence to practise and prescribing

Physicians who practise under their own professional responsibility within the meaning of the Medical Professions Act are authorised to prescribe narcotics. Physicians who do not practise under their own professional responsibility may prescribe only within the powers of their employment and under the supervision of an authorised colleague (Art. 10 para. 1 BetmG; Art. 45 BetmKV).

Neither the Narcotics Act nor the BetmKV requires a particular field of medicine for prescribing cannabis medicines (Art. 10 BetmG; Art. 45 BetmKV). Practising under one's own professional responsibility, however, requires the federal postgraduate title named above (Art. 36 MedBG).

See also the narcotics prescription (Betäubungsmittelrezept) and telemedicine.