The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations identify a person who can be a medical examiner by two criteria: professional licensure and scope of practice that includes performing physical examinations.

Medical examiner means a person who is licensed, certified, and/or registered, in accordance with applicable State laws and regulations, to perform physical examinations. The term includes, but is not limited to, doctors of medicine and osteopathy, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and chiropractors. 49 CFR 390.5 Definitions

When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) completes the notice-and-comment rulemaking for the proposed National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, healthcare professionals will be required to be trained and certified and listed on a national registry to perform physical examinations of truck and bus drivers. At this time, FMCSA does not endorse any medical examiner training, education or certification programs, and healthcare professionals are not required to be listed on a registry or other database to perform driver physical examinations.