Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements
Bachelor's Degree
1 Examination
3,800 Hours of Experience
3 Hours of Continuing Education
$50.00 Initial Fee
$75.00 Renewal Fee
An individual who is licensed by the State Board of Medicine to practice prosthetics. Prosthetics is the practice of evaluating, measuring, designing, fabricating, assembling, fitting, adjusting or servicing a prosthesis pursuant to a written prescription of a licensed prescribing practitioner.
Degree Requirement:
Bachelor's Degree
An applicant must have earned a bachelor's degree, post-baccalaureate certificate or higher degree from a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) -accredited education program with a major in prosthetics or prosthetics/orthotics.
Examination Requirement:
1 Examination
An applicant must receive a passing grade on the National Certification Examination and provide proof that they have met the qualifications and hold a current certification as a prosthetist, or as a prosthetist and orthotist, from the American Board for Certification (ABC) in orthotics, the Board of Certification (BOC), or another prosthetic credentialing organization whose certification program approved by the State Board of Medicine.
Experience:
3,800 Hours
The applicant must have completed a minimum of 3,800 hours of experience in providing direct patient care services in prosthetics or in prosthetics and orthotics over a 2 year period.
Continuing Education:
3 Hours (for initial licensure)
Applicants must complete 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure.
24 Hours (when renewing license)
As a condition for biennial renewal, a prosthetist must complete a minimum of 24 hours of ABC-approved or BOC-approved continuing education applicable to the practice of orthotic fitting, including 2 hours of approved training in how to recognize and report child abuse.
Initial Licensing Fee:
$50.00
Licensure Renewal Fee:
$75.00
Licensure by Endorsement under Section 27 of the Medical Practice Act:
The Board will grant a license without restriction to an applicant who does not meet the standard license requirements if the applicant has achieved cumulative qualifications that are endorsed by the Board as being equivalent to the standard requirements for the license.
Licensure by Act 41:
Act 41 promotes licensure portability for out-of-state professionals seeking to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 authorizes all licensing boards and commissions within the Commonwealth to endorse licenses issued by other states, territories, and jurisdictions, provided the applicant meets certain criteria. Specifically, an applicant must:
- Hold a current, active license in good standing in another jurisdiction whose licensing requirements are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania’s.
- Have no disciplinary action or criminal convictions.
- Have been actively engaged in the licensed practice of the profession for at least two of the last five years.
- Demonstrate competence, as determined by the Board; this may include education, continuing education, or other standards set by the Board.
- Meet any other administrative requirements such as fees.