Application for licensure or registration.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (h) or (i), no person shall administer prosthetic, orthotic, or pedorthic care in this state unless licensed or registered to do so in accordance with this chapter. The board shall issue approved forms for application prior to January 1, 2003.

(b) In order to obtain a license as a prosthetist, orthotist, or prosthetist/orthotist in this state, an applicant shall be a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government, and shall do the following:

(1) File a written application on forms to be developed and approved by the board. The applicant shall meet at least one of the following requirements after a one-year grandfather period:

a. The applicant shall possess a baccalaureate degree in orthotics and prosthetics from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting agency and complete 1,900 hours per discipline sought of directed employment under the supervision of a certified/licensed prosthetist, a certified/licensed orthotist, or a certified/licensed prosthetist/orthotist in an accredited facility, and be certified as a prosthetist, orthotist, or prosthetist/orthotist by a nationally recognized certifying board in orthotics and prosthetics accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), or such other national agency as approved by the board, in the discipline or disciplines for which the application is made.

b. The applicant shall possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and have successfully completed a post-baccalaureate certificate course approved by the board and completed 1,900 hours of directed employment per discipline in which license is sought under the supervision of a certified/licensed prosthetist, a certified/licensed orthotist, or a certified/licensed prosthetist/orthotist in an accredited facility, and be certified by a nationally recognized certifying board in prosthetics or orthotics accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), or such other national agency as approved by the board, in the discipline or disciplines for which application is made.

c. The applicant shall possess an associate's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, junior college, or community college and have successfully completed postsecondary coursework in anatomy, physiology, physics, biology, chemistry, algebra, and calculus and have worked under the supervision of a certified/licensed prosthetist, a certified/licensed orthotist, or a certified/licensed prosthetist/orthotist for not less than four consecutive years of the past six years in an accredited facility, and be certified by a nationally recognized certifying board in prosthetics or orthotics accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), or such other national agency as may be approved by the board.

d. The applicant shall have successfully completed postsecondary coursework in anatomy, physiology, physics, biology, chemistry, algebra, and calculus and have worked under the supervision of a certified/licensed prosthetist, a certified/licensed orthotist, or a certified/licensed prosthetist/orthotist for not less than eight years of the last 12 years and be certified as a prosthetist, orthotist, or prosthetist/orthotist by a nationally recognized board accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), or such national agency as may be approved by the board, in the discipline or disciplines for which application is made.

(2) Any applicant after the first year following the board's issuance of applications shall meet the requirements of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) prior to receiving a license as a prosthetist, an orthotist, or a prosthetist/orthotist.

(c) In order to obtain a license as a pedorthist in this state, an applicant shall be a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government, and shall file a written application on forms to be developed and approved by the board. Applicants shall be in good standing as a certified pedorthist with an entity accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

(d) In order to obtain registration as an orthotic supplier, an applicant shall be a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government, and shall do the following:

(1) File a written application on forms to be developed and approved by the board. Such forms shall require personal information such as full name, current address, educational status and history, and work history for the last five years of employment.

(2) The application forms shall be accompanied, when submitted, by attestation of employment by or contractual relationship with a manufacturer of orthoses or orthosis components whether registered with the United States Food and Drug Administration or not. Attestation shall be by notarized statement signed by the president, chief operating officer, or other designated corporate official of the employing company.

(e) The board shall grant a license without an examination for those qualified applicants who apply within one year of the issuance of application forms by the board. For purposes of this subsection, qualified applicants are those who possess current credentials as a Certified Prosthetist, Certified Orthotist, or Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist issued by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics, Incorporated, or the Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification as a prosthetist, orthotist, or prosthetist/orthotist.

(f) The board may issue a 12-month temporary license as a prosthetist, an orthotist, a pedorthist, or a prosthetist/orthotist to persons who have applied for licensure and are awaiting examination. The temporary license is renewable once for a six-month period if the applicant fails to pass the examination at the first sitting.

(g) The board shall grant a license as a prosthetist, an orthotist, a prosthetist/orthotist, or pedorthist to an applicant in possession of a current license as a prosthetist, orthotist, prosthetist/orthotist, or pedorthist in another state or territory of the United States without examination if the board determines that the credentialing standards set by the other state or territory are substantially equivalent to the standards set by the board for this state.

(h) No person may represent himself or herself as a licensed prosthetist, licensed orthotist, licensed prosthetist/orthotist, or licensed pedorthist, use a title or description of services, or engage in the practice of prosthetics, orthotics, or pedorthics without applying for licensure, meeting the required qualifications, and being licensed by the board unless otherwise exempted by this chapter. A person not licensed with the board may not represent himself or herself as being so licensed and may not use, in connection with his or her name, the words licensed orthotist, orthotist, licensed prosthetist, prosthetist, licensed prosthetist/orthotist, prosthetist/orthotist, licensed pedorthist, pedorthist, licensed orthotic fitter, orthotic fitter, licensed mastectomy fitter, mastectomy fitter, licensed therapeutic shoe fitter, therapeutic shoe fitter, or letters "L.O.," "L.P.," "L.P.O.," "L.O.A.," "LPed," "L.P.A.," "L.P.O.A.," "L.M.F.," "L.O.F.," "L.T.S.F." or other letters, words, signs, numbers, or insignia indicating or implying that he or she is either a licensed prosthetist, a licensed orthotist, a licensed prosthetist/orthotist, a licensed pedorthist, a licensed mastectomy fitter, a licensed therapeutic shoe fitter, or a licensed orthotic fitter in the State of Alabama without first having a valid license. The license shall be posted in a conspicuous location at the person's work site.

(i) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit or restrict the following:

(1) The practice of prosthetics, orthotics, or pedorthics by individuals authorized and performing services within their authorized scopes of practice as adopted by the Legislature including, but not limited to, authorized health care practitioners, doctors of podiatry, chiropractors, physical therapists, and occupational therapists licensed in this state.

(2) The practice of prosthetics, orthotics, or pedorthics by an individual employed by, or in the service of, the government of the United States of America while engaged in the performance of duties prescribed by the laws of the United States of America.

(3) The practice of prosthetics, orthotics, or pedorthics by any person not licensed as a prosthetist, orthotist, prosthetist/orthotist, orthotic fitter, therapeutic shoe fitter, or pedorthist in accordance with this chapter who is employed in a hospital, rehabilitation facility, or authorized health care practitioner's office under the direction of an authorized health care practitioner.

(4) A person fulfilling the supervised residency or internship experience requirements described in this chapter.

(5) The practice of prosthetics, orthotics, or pedorthics by a clinician who is certified or licensed in another state at meetings of the Alabama Prosthetic & Orthotic Association (APOA) or similar organizations or at training events approved by the board to provide clinical services performed by a certified or licensed clinician.

(6) The practice of pharmacy by an individual subject to Chapter 23 of this title.

(Act 2002-527, p. 1376, §5; Act 2003-275, p. 649, §1; Act 2006-302, p. 628, §1; Act 2009-300, p. 510, §1; Act 2010-145, p. 206, §3; Act 2011-553, p. 1022, §1; Act 2013-422, p. 1680, §2; Act 2015-68, p. 251, §1; Act 2018-151, §1; Act 2018-159, §1.)