Wisconsin Podiatry Licensing and Its Residency Rule

Wisconsin's Podiatry Affiliated Credentialing Board licenses every podiatrist through one statute, Wisconsin Statutes 448.63, whether the applicant graduated last spring or has practiced in Illinois for twenty years. There is no separate endorsement application that skips the exams. For an experienced podiatrist, the requirements that matter most are the postgraduate training rule and the possibility of an oral exam.

What does every Wisconsin applicant need?

Section 448.63(1) says the board shall grant a license to a person who:

1. submits the application and fee;
2. submits evidence, subject to Wisconsin's fair employment law, that they do not have an arrest or conviction record;
3. graduated from a board-approved school of podiatric medicine and surgery with a DPM or equivalent degree;
4. completed postgraduate training in a board-approved program, as described below; and
5. passes the examination under section 448.64.

The board's rule, Pod 1.06, defines the examination: APMLE Parts I, II, the Part II Clinical Skills Patient Encounter and III, plus "an open book examination on statutes and rules governing the practice of podiatric medicine and surgery in Wisconsin." Each is scored separately and each must be passed. Under Pod 1.06(4), the board will accept passing grades from another US licensing jurisdiction's exams if it finds their scope and passing grades substantially equivalent to Wisconsin's at the time you tested, and the burden of proving equivalency is on you. The law exam is not waived. See the Part II CSPE and class years if your class did not take the CSPE.

How does the residency rule work?

Section 448.63(1)(d)2 requires "2 years of postgraduate training in a program approved by the affiliated credentialing board or one year of postgraduate training ... if the one-year postgraduate training was completed by June 1, 2010."

That rule sorts experienced podiatrists into three groups:

• Two or more years of approved training, at any time. You meet the rule. Most podiatrists trained in the current three-year model are here.
• One year of training finished by June 1, 2010. You meet the rule through the exception.
• One year of training finished after June 1, 2010. You do not meet it, however long you have practiced since. Wisconsin's statute has no practice-time substitute for the second year.

The third group is small but real, and it is exactly the case a readiness review should catch before any fee is paid. Our post on residency length and state law compares Wisconsin with states that require one or three years, and older residencies and licensure covers podiatrists who trained before today's model.

What does the three-year practice clause waive?

Section 448.63(2) is sometimes described as an endorsement route. It is narrower than that. It lets the board waive the requirement in 448.63(1)(d)1, graduation from a board-approved school with the DPM diploma, for an applicant who graduated from a podiatry school, is licensed in another US jurisdiction that required an approved or equivalency-evaluated school, and "has actively practiced podiatry ... for at least 3 years immediately preceding" the application.

It does not waive the postgraduate training rule, and it does not waive the examination. Its main use is for podiatrists whose school Wisconsin does not approve. Section 448.64(3) adds that the board may not require an oral exam or an English proficiency test solely because such an applicant was educated outside the United States. For most US-trained podiatrists, it changes nothing.

When does Wisconsin require an oral exam?

Pod 1.06(1)(a) lists the situations in which an applicant may be required to complete an oral exam conducted by board members, scored pass or fail. Several of them catch experienced podiatrists rather than new graduates:

• discipline or a license denial by any licensing authority;
• a finding of negligence, or being a party to a lawsuit alleging negligence in podiatric practice;
• losing, reducing or having suspended hospital staff privileges, or "failed to continuously maintain hospital privileges" during licensure after postgraduate training;
• adverse formal action during training, hospital practice or other medical employment; and
• not practicing podiatry for 6 months before applying, unless you graduated within that period.

An application review panel of at least two board members decides whether you can be licensed without the oral exam. If you are scheduled for one and fail to appear without prior arrangement, the application is void and you reapply. An office-based podiatrist who let hospital privileges lapse should expect the question. Section 448.64(5) allows up to two reexaminations, at least four months apart.

Does a Wisconsin license include the ankle?

Section 448.60(4) limits podiatry to "conditions affecting the foot and ankle," and excludes a general anesthetic "unless administered by or under the direction of" a physician licensed in Wisconsin. The board may also grant a limited license to an applicant who does not qualify for full licensure (448.63(4)), and the statute lets it create classes of temporary licenses by rule (448.63(3)). See the scope by state page.

Which yearly filings does Wisconsin require?

Section 448.655 requires every licensed podiatrist to file evidence each year of malpractice coverage of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 for all occurrences in a year. The exception is a podiatrist whose principal place of practice is outside Wisconsin and who will practice in Wisconsin no more than 240 hours in the next 12 months. Renewal also requires proof of continuing education under section 448.665.

How can we help with Wisconsin?

Because Wisconsin has no endorsement, a Wisconsin file is our Full State Podiatry License Application, $899. We confirm the training rule against your residency dates first, prepare the application for your signature, request transcripts, training verification and your exam history, assemble an equivalency packet if you tested under another jurisdiction's exams, and prepare explanations for any item that could trigger an oral exam. Jurisprudence and State Exam Logistics ($249) covers the open-book law exam and any oral exam scheduling; you take both yourself. You pay the board and exam fees directly. See the Wisconsin state page for current requirements.