Apply for a Practitioner License

Applicants for the orthotist license must complete the orthotist educational, residency, and examination requirements for orthotists. Applicants for the prosthetist license must complete the prosthetist educational, residency, and examination requirements for prosthetists. Applicants for the prosthetist-orthotist license must complete the prosthetist and orthotist academic, residency, and examination requirements.

Educational Requirements

To apply for an orthotist, prosthetist, or prosthetist-orthotist license, you must meet one of the following educational requirements:

1. You hold a bachelor's or graduate degree in prosthetics and orthotics from a college or university educational program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or an educational program accepted by the department as having equivalent educational standards.
2. You hold a bachelor's or graduate degree in any subject and a certificate from an orthotics practitioner educational program that is accredited by CAAHEP or from a practitioner education program accepted by the department as having equivalent educational standards.

You must submit official college transcripts with your application materials as proof of meeting the educational requirement.

Clinical Residency

You must submit a certificate of completion from a residency program recognized by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) in the field of orthotics, prosthetics, or a dual program, as appropriate to the license being applied for.

If you have already completed a residency program that was not recognized by NCOPE, you may still be eligible to apply as a uniquely qualified person.

Completion of a residency program will require a student registration.

If your residency is completed in Texas, the supervising orthotist or prosthetist must hold a valid Texas issued license in the same discipline as the clinical residency being completed.

Jurisprudence Exam

All applicants for initial licensure must complete the applicable jurisprudence examination before applying for a license. The jurisprudence examination must have been completed no more than six months prior to the license application date. For further details, please see the exam information page.

Application and Fee

Once the above requirements have been met, you may submit a completed license application form (Apply Online or see Orthotists and Prosthetists License Application PDF) with the appropriate fee, listed below.

Licensing Exam

An applicant must pass a written licensing examination to qualify for a practitioner license. After submitting a license application, your eligibility to take the exam will be reviewed by TDLR staff. Once you have met all examination requirements, you will receive notification from the testing vendor. Please see the exam information page for further details.

Out of State Applicants

If you have been licensed in another state, you may be eligible to receive a temporary license that allows you to practice in Texas while your application is pending review. Please see the out of state applicants page for further information.

Applicants with Criminal Convictions

TDLR's Licensing Division conducts a criminal background check through the Department of Public Safety (DPS) on each original license application and each renewal application filed. If the application or the DPS check reveals a conviction that could be a basis for denying the license, the Licensing staff will refer the matter to TDLR's Enforcement Division for further review.

Please see the Guidelines for License Applicants with Criminal Convictions, which describe the process by which TDLR determines whether a criminal conviction renders an applicant an unsuitable candidate for the license, or whether a conviction warrants revocation or suspension of a license previously granted.

You will need to provide information on all felony and/or misdemeanor offenses as part of your license application. You will need to provide information if you have ever been arrested, charged, convicted, entered a plea of nolo contendere (no contest), a plea of guilty, and/or received deferred adjudication for a felony or misdemeanor. You must also include any convictions which are currently on appeal. If you do not have a criminal history, check "No" on the criminal history questions. Failure to report your criminal history may jeopardize your application.