<p>It depends on the country, but, for most of them (incl. USA and EU), you don't need a medical license to perform biomedical <em>research</em>, including human experiments with TMS. However, you will need legal approval, such as certified research environment, ethics/IRB permission, etc. Also, one should delineate research and clinical trials, which are governed by a special set of rules and, most often, require medical environment.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-05T01:55:40.887Z
2019-08-05T01:55:40.887Z
NovemberSierra
<p>In my research project, besides sound and light therapies, I would like to experiment with rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) on volunteers. I wonder if this requires medical licensing? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-04T22:25:48.570Z
Your best bet is to contact your IRB (or its equivalent) for your institution.  They are ultimately going to be the one to make the decision as to whether your research will proceed.
Chuck Sherrington
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-04T22:38:55.007Z
@ChuckSherrington - That would be the perfect solution but this is private research and I have no IRB. It's just me and some friends.
Nikolai Manek
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-04T22:46:51.493Z
If you are going to do human subjects research in *any* context, it needs to be approved by an IRB.  What if someone gets hurt?  The IRB would be the one to determine whether you need a clinician to supervise things.
Chuck Sherrington
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-04T23:18:51.570Z
It is unethical to do human subjects research of any kind without IRB, including plenty of things much less invasive than TMS. Chuck says "best bet" but I would strongly strengthen that to "only ethical and legal bet"
Bryan Krause
<tms>
Does rTMS therapy require medical licensing?
Nikolai Manek
# Does rTMS therapy require medical licensing?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-08-04)

In my research project, besides sound and light therapies, I would like to experiment with rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) on volunteers. I wonder if this requires medical licensing?

**Tags:** tms

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Your best bet is to contact your IRB (or its equivalent) for your institution.  They are ultimately going to be the one to make the decision as to whether your research will proceed.  
> **username_0**: @ChuckSherrington - That would be the perfect solution but this is private research and I have no IRB. It's just me and some friends.  
> **username_1**: If you are going to do human subjects research in *any* context, it needs to be approved by an IRB.  What if someone gets hurt?  The IRB would be the one to determine whether you need a clinician to supervise things.  
> **username_2**: It is unethical to do human subjects research of any kind without IRB, including plenty of things much less invasive than TMS. Chuck says "best bet" but I would strongly strengthen that to "only ethical and legal bet"  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-08-05. Score: -1

It depends on the country, but, for most of them (incl. USA and EU), you don't need a medical license to perform biomedical *research*, including human experiments with TMS. However, you will need legal approval, such as certified research environment, ethics/IRB permission, etc. Also, one should delineate research and clinical trials, which are governed by a special set of rules and, most often, require medical environment.


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