(a) An applicant for a provisional license must:
(1) be at least 21 years of age;
(2) successfully complete at least 90 semester hours
of undergraduate college courses acceptable at the time of completion
for credit toward a bachelor's degree at an institution of higher
education determined by the department to have acceptable standards;
(3) successfully graduate from a reputable college
of podiatry approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education
of the American Podiatric Medical Association, and the college must
have been so approved during the entire period of the applicant's
course of instruction;
(4) successfully pass all required sections of the
American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination;
(5) successfully complete at least one year of GPME
in a program approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education
of the American Podiatric Medical Association with a hospital, clinic,
or institution acceptable to the department (successful completion
means the GPME program which was actually begun/matriculated is completed;
the applicant must have successfully completed the entire program;
partial program attendance is not acceptable);
(6) be licensed in good standing as a podiatric physician
in another state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the
United States that has licensing requirements that are substantially
equivalent to the requirements of the Act, subsequent amendments,
and rules;
(7) furnish proof of such licensure to the department;
(8) not have been revoked or suspended in any jurisdiction;
(9) successfully pass the jurisprudence exam;
(10) pay all applicable fees;
(11) submit a completed application on a department-approved
form;
(12) submit all transcripts of relevant college coursework,
acceptable to the department;
(13) successfully pass a criminal history background
check performed by the department;
(14) provide proof of successful completion of a course
in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); and
(15) successfully pass a National Practitioner Data
Bank query check performed by the department.
(b) An applicant for provisional licensure must be
sponsored by a person currently licensed by the department for at
least five years and in good standing under the Act with the following
conditions applicable.
(c) Prior to beginning practice in Texas, the sponsor
licensee must ensure the following:
(1) that the applicant for provisional licensure will
be working within the same office as the licensee, under the direct
supervision of the sponsor licensee; and
(2) that such sponsor licensee is aware of the Act
and rules governing provisional licensure and that the sponsorship
will cease upon the invalidity of the provisional license.
(d) Sponsor licensee will be held responsible for the
unauthorized practice of podiatric medicine should such provisional
license expire.
(e) An applicant for a provisional license may be excused
from the requirement of sponsorship of this rule if the department
determines that compliance with this subsection constitutes a hardship
to the applicant.
(f) A provisional license is valid for 180 days or
until successful passage or failure of the jurisprudence exam and
may be renewed three times. It shall be the responsibility of the
applicant and sponsor to return the provisional license to the department
upon expiration.
(g) If at any time during the provisional licensure
period it is determined that the holder of such provisional license
has violated the Act or department rules, such provisional license
will be subject to disciplinary action including revocation.
(h) At the discretion of the executive director, the
GPME requirement may be waived if the applicant has been in active
podiatric practice for at least five continuous years in another state
under license of that state, and upon application to the department
demonstrates an acceptable record from that state and from all other
states under which the applicant has ever been licensed. (The GPME
requirement became effective in Texas on July 1, 1995).
(i) At the discretion of the executive director, the
executive director may excuse an applicant for a license from the
National Board Part III (formerly known as PM Lexis) requirement if
the executive director determines that an applicant with substantially
equivalent experience was not required to pass a part of an examination
related to the testing of clinical skills when the applicant was licensed
in this or another state with an acceptable record, provided that
the applicant has been in active licensed practice for at least five
continuous years and has successfully completed any other course of
training reasonably required by the executive director relating to
the safe care and treatment of patients. (The National Board Part
III/PM Lexis came to be in existence in June 1987. Texas began the
National Board Part III/PM Lexis requirement for licensure on January
29, 1992.)
(j) A showing of an acceptable record under this section
is defined to include, but is not limited to:
(1) a showing that the applicant has not had entered
against him a judgment, civil or criminal, in state or federal court
or other judicial forum, on a podiatric medical-related cause of action;
no conviction of or deferred adjudication for a felony; no disciplinary
action recorded from any medical institution or agency or organization,
including, but not limited to, any licensing board, hospital, surgery
center, clinic, professional organization, governmental health organization,
or extended-care facility; and no dishonorable discharge from military
service.
(2) If any judgment or disciplinary determination under
this subsection, has been on appeal, reversed, reversed and rendered,
or remanded and later dismissed, or in any other way concluded in
favor of the applicant, it shall be the applicant's responsibility
to bring such result to the notice of the department by way of certified
letter along with any such explanation of the circumstances as the
applicant deems pertinent to the determination of admittance to licensure
in the State of Texas.
(3) The applicant shall obtain and submit to the department
a letter directly from all state boards under which he or she has
ever been previously licensed stating that the applicant is a licensee
in good standing with each said board or that said prior license or
licenses were terminated or expired with the licensee in good standing.
(k) The department approves and adopts by reference
the Standards and Requirements for Approval of Residencies in Podiatric
Medicine and Surgery and Procedures for Approval of Residencies in
Podiatric Medicine and Surgery adopted by the Council on Podiatric
Medical Education of the American Podiatric Medical Association.
(l) The department approves and adopts by reference
the Standards and Requirements for Accrediting Colleges of Podiatric
Medicine and Procedures for Accrediting Colleges of Podiatric Medicine
adopted by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education of the American
Podiatric Medical Association.
(m) The department may require additional information
from an applicant who has been out of practice for more than two years
and require the applicant to complete additional education, examinations,
or training before issuing a license to ensure the podiatrist possesses
reasonable knowledge, skill and competence for the safe care and treatment
of patients.
(n) The applicant shall submit evidence sufficient
for the department to determine that the applicant has met all the
requirements and any other information reasonably required by the
department. Any application, diploma or certification, or other document
required to be submitted to the department that is not in the English
language must be accompanied by a certified translation into English.
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