(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  (8) not have been revoked or suspended in any jurisdiction;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.

Source Note: The provisions of this §130.43 adopted to be effective November 1, 2018, 43 TexReg 6953; amended to be effective September 1, 2019, 44 TexReg 4725