Section 61-2-9 - Licensure by examination; licensure by endorsement. (Repealed effective July 1, 2016.)

61-2-9. Licensure by examination; licensure by endorsement. (Repealed effective July 1, 2016.)

A.     An applicant meeting the qualifications set forth in Section 61-2-8 NMSA 1978, shall:   

(1)     file his application under oath, on forms supplied by the board, for an examination by the board. The examination shall be confined to the subjects within the curriculum of colleges of optometry approved and accredited by the board and shall include written tests and practical demonstrations and may include oral tests; or   

(2)     file his application under oath on forms supplied by the board which conform to board regulations on endorsement and furnish proof satisfactory to the board of his having been licensed by examination in another state which had qualifications equal to or exceeding those required in this state on the date of his original licensure, and satisfying the board that he holds a doctor of optometry degree from a school or college approved and accredited by the board which was obtained after the completion of a course of study with a minimum of four thousand clock hours of instruction. The applicant must have been actively engaged in the practice of optometry in the state of licensure or in federal service for seven consecutive years immediately prior to the year in which application is made. This proof shall be accepted in lieu of the written portion of the examination. Applicants for licensure without written examination shall be examined to the satisfaction of the board by practical, oral and clinical demonstration in the presence of a majority of the board and a detailed record of such examination shall be kept and made available to the applicant at his request.   

B.     All applicants successfully passing the examinations shall be issued a license by the board upon payment of the license fee.