Alabama § 34-24-160 - Application; Qualifications of Applicant; Fee.

§ 34-24-160. Application; Qualifications of Applicant; Fee.

(a) Any individual wishing the right to practice chiropractic shall make application to the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners in the form as the board may prescribe.

(b)(1) In addition to other requirements established by law and for the purpose of determining an applicant’s suitability for a license to practice chiropractic, each applicant shall submit a complete set of fingerprints to the board.

(2) The board shall submit the fingerprints provided by each applicant for a license to practice chiropractic to the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. The fingerprints shall be forwarded by the board or agency to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a state and national criminal history background check. Costs associated with conducting a criminal history background check shall be borne by the applicant.

(3) The board shall keep information received pursuant to this section confidential, except that any information received and relied upon in denying the issuance of a license may be disclosed as necessary to support the denial. This requirement also shall apply to any person who is not licensed as a chiropractor who applies for a permit pursuant to Section 34-24-123(b).

(c) Each applicant shall be of good moral character and a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen, an individual who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government.

(d) Each applicant shall be a graduate of a chartered chiropractic school or college accredited by the Council of Chiropractic Education or a successor entity.

(e) An applicant for licensure who graduated from chiropractic college after January 1, 2010, shall have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Absent a bachelor’s degree, the requirement may be met by an academic graduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and proof that the applicant has taken a nationally recognized standardized test commensurate with that applicant’s graduate degree.

(f) An application shall be signed by the applicant in his or her own handwriting, be notarized, and recite the history of the applicant’s educational qualifications, how long he or she has studied chiropractic, what collateral branches, if any, he or she has studied, and the length of time he or she has engaged in clinical practice with proof thereof in the form of diplomas, certificates, and transcripts.

(g) Each applicant shall submit with his or her application satisfactory evidence of good character and reputation.

(h)(1) Each applicant for licensure shall pay to the board a license application fee of not less than fifty dollars ($50) and not more than one hundred fifty dollars ($150) as set by rule of the board. The fee shall accompany the application.

(2) A fee of not less than fifty dollars ($50) and not more than one hundred fifty dollars ($150), as set by rule of the board, shall be paid for any subsequent examination.