Sec. 605.252. LICENSE ELIGIBILITY

(a) To be eligible for a license to practice orthotics or prosthetics in this state, a person must:

(1) file a written application with the board on the form prescribed by the board;

(2) pay the nonrefundable application fee;

(3) be a resident of this state;

(4) have completed formal training, including the required hours of classroom education and clinical practice, in an area of study the board by rule determines to be necessary and appropriate;

(5) have completed a clinical residency in the professional area for which a license is sought that complies with the standards, guidelines, or procedures established by the board for a clinical residency that is offered in this state or another state; and

(6) have passed each written and practical examination approved and required by the board.

(b) The requirements for a license established by board rule must include the requirement that the applicant hold:

(1) a bachelor's degree in orthotics and prosthetics from:

(A) an education program recognized and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs that is offered at an institution of higher education; or

(B) a practitioner education program that has education standards that are equivalent to or exceed the standards adopted by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; or

(2) a bachelor's degree in another subject and an orthotic or prosthetic certificate issued by a practitioner education program:

(A) recognized and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; or

(B) that has education standards that are equivalent to or exceed the standards adopted by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

(c) To meet the clinical residency requirements for a license, the applicant must complete at least 1,900 hours of professional clinical residency under the direct supervision of a licensed orthotist, licensed prosthetist, or a licensed prosthetist orthotist in the discipline for which licensure is sought.

(d) The board may accept as a substitute for the examination requirement proof that the license applicant holds a license in a state that has licensing requirements that are equal to or exceed the requirements of this chapter.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.