What must a licensee do to place their license into inactive status?

• A. File a completed application and appropriate fees.
• B. Stop practicing and wait for automatic inactive status.
• C. Take a shorter CE course to maintain status.
• D. Notify patients and continue practice.

Answer: (A)

Placing a license on inactive status requires a formal action with the licensing board, not just stopping work. The licensee must submit an official request to the board to change the status of the license to inactive and pay the required fee. This administrative step records the change and frees the licensee from active-duty requirements (such as certain CE obligations that apply to active licenses). You can reactivate later by following the board’s reactivation process, which typically involves submitting a reactivation application and meeting any applicable requirements.

Stopping practice alone does not automatically put the license on inactive status, so that option isn’t correct. Merely taking CE to “maintain status” does not apply to placing a license into inactive status, since CE is an active-license requirement. Notifying patients and continuing to practice would violate the terms of inactive status, since you must refrain from practicing when the license is inactive.