The Florida Senate

468.803  Licensure requirements.--

(1)  The department shall issue a license to practice orthotics, prosthetics, or pedorthics to qualified applicants. Licensure shall be granted independently in orthotics, prosthetics, or pedorthics, but a person may be licensed in more than one such discipline.

(2)  An applicant for licensure must apply to the department on a form prescribed by it in order to take the appropriate licensure examination, including a practical examination demonstrating clinical patient management, when appropriate, and written examinations, one of which demonstrates orthotic, prosthetic, or pedorthic problem-solving skills. The board may accept the examination results of a national orthotic, prosthetic, or pedorthic standards organization in lieu of administering the state examination. In such cases, the department shall set fees appropriate to the level of practitioner and shall examine each applicant who the board verifies:

(a)  Has completed the application form and paid an application fee, not to exceed $500, which shall be nonrefundable, an examination fee and the actual per applicant costs to the department for purchase or development of the examination, and a license fee not to exceed $500;

(b)  Is of good moral character;

(c)  Is 18 years of age or older;

(d)  Has completed the appropriate educational preparation, including practical training requirements; and

(e)  Has successfully completed an appropriate clinical internship in the professional area for which the license is sought.

(3)  In addition to the requirements in subsection (2), to be licensed as:

(a)  An orthotist, the applicant must have:

1.  A Bachelor of Science degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics from a regionally accredited college or university, or a bachelor's degree with a certificate in orthotics from a program recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or its equivalent, as determined by the board; and

2.  An appropriate internship of 1 year of qualified experience, as determined by the board, or a residency program recognized by the board.

(b)  A prosthetist, the applicant must have:

1.  A Bachelor of Science degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics from a regionally accredited college or university, or a bachelor's degree with a certificate in prosthetics from a program recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or its equivalent, as determined by the board; and

2.  An internship of 1 year of qualified experience, as determined by the board, or a residency program recognized by the board.

(c)  An orthotic fitter, the applicant must have:

1.  A high school diploma or its equivalent;

2.  A minimum of 40 hours of training in orthotics education, as approved by the board; and

3.  Two years of experience in orthotics, as approved by the board.

(d)  An orthotic fitter assistant, the applicant must have:

1.  A high school diploma or its equivalent; and

2.  A minimum of 40 hours of training in orthotics education, as approved by the board.

(e)  A pedorthist, the applicant must have:

1.  A high school diploma or its equivalent;

2.  A minimum of 120 hours of training, as approved by the board; and

3.  An internship of 80 hours of qualified working experience, as determined by the board.

(4)  The board shall provide for an alternative to the requirements set forth in paragraphs (3)(a) and (b), which shall include an associate degree, including courses in the anatomical, biological, and physical sciences, and a minimum of 3 years' clinical experience, after receiving the degree, under the direct supervision of an orthotist, prosthetist, or prosthetist-orthotist in the discipline for which licensure is sought. This subsection is repealed July 1, 2002.

History.--s. 4, ch. 97-284.