(a) Any person not heretofore authorized to practice podiatry in this State shall file with the Board of Podiatry Examiners an application for examination accompanied by a fee not to exceed three hundred fifty dollars ($350.00), together with proof that the applicant is of good moral character, and has obtained a preliminary education equivalent to four years of instruction in a high school and three years of instruction in a college or university approved by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Before taking the examination, the applicant must be a graduate of a college of podiatric medicine accredited by the National Council on Education of the American Podiatry Association. Effective January 1, 1992, every applicant, as a prerequisite for licensure under this Article, shall complete one year of clinical residency or other equivalent postgraduate clinical program approved by the North Carolina Board of Podiatry Examiners and, before taking the North Carolina podiatry licensure examination, shall present evidence to the Board that he has passed the National Board Examination.
Any person licensed to practice podiatry on or before January 1, 1992, who is actively involved in a postgraduate clinical program approved by the Board shall be permitted to practice podiatry in the approved program pending its completion.