When an Internship is Required

To be licensed as a Therapeutic Optometrist, you must qualify either by internship or reciprocity. Whether you are required to complete a six-month internship depends on if:

• you hold a current optometry license in another jurisdiction,
• how long you have practiced in that jurisdiction, and
• that jurisdiction’s licensure standards are substantially similar to Delaware’s licensure standards.

Information about Internship and Supervision

The internship period starts the day after the Board approves it. The period must consist of at least 35 hours per week for at least six months. One or more doctors approved by the Board must supervise you throughout the period. It is your responsibility to select a supervising doctor. In making your selection, note the following:

• If you select a therapeutically-certified optometrist not licensed in Delaware, he or she must be licensed in a jurisdiction where the standards of therapeutic practice are comparable to those in Delaware.
• If the supervisor is neither an ophthalmologist nor therapeutically-certified optometrist, you must complete 100 additional hours of clinical internship with a therapeutically-certified optometrist, medical doctor or osteopathic physician.

If more than one doctor will be supervising you, the Board must approve all of them. A supervising doctor:

• must supervise you “one-on-one”
• can supervise only one intern at a time
• must be on the same premises and immediately available for supervision at all times
• must review the patient evaluations before the patient leaves the office.

Information on How to Apply for a License in DELPROS

All applications are submitted our online system DELPROS. We no longer accept paper applications.

PRIOR TO APPLYING

In order to apply for a license or submit a service request, you must first have a DELPROS user account. To LOG IN or CREATE a DELPROS (Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services) user account:

1. Go to: https://delpros.delaware.gov/OH_HomePage.
2. Click GO on the Apply/Manage a License and Service Requests tile.
3. If you do not have a DELPROS user account, click the REGISTER button on the left side of page for NEW USERS.
4. If you already have a DELPROS user account, enter your email address and password on the right side for EXISTING USERS and click the LOGIN button.

DELPROS allows you to save your incomplete application and return to it later to finish the process. You only have six (6) months to submit your application once you begin.

• If you do not submit your application within six months of starting it, you will be required to restart the entire online application again.

You may check the status of your application online throughout the entire application process by using the “View Application Status” feature in DELPROS on your e-License dashboard.

KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND COLLECT YOUR DOCUMENTS

1. Know the requirements for the license you are pursuing.
   • For more information on the requirements for licensure, refer to your profession’s License Law and Rules and Regulations.
2. Request and gather all documents required to upload on the Attachments page. All information and forms are located on your profession’s webpages.

ATTACHING AND ACKNOWLEDGING DOCUMENTS

On the ATTACHMENTS page of your application, you may be instructed to:

• either “attach” or “upload” the required document(s) directly to your application. This means you will find the document(s) saved on your computer or device and upload it to your application.

• click “acknowledge” . This means you will either mail the documents yourself or request the “third-party” to mail the document(s) directly to the Board office.
  • Examples of “third-party forms” are transcripts from schools, employment verifications from a supervisor, or license verifications from another state.
• Forms requiring a supervisor signature, seal, or notary may have to be MAILED to the Board office directly UNLESS the document specifically indicates to UPLOAD the document.

Requirements for Internship

The following requirements are required in order to be approved for your six-month internship and for your full Therapeutic Optometrist licensure, with the exception of the documents needed from your supervising doctor(s) proving you have completed your internship hours.

In addition to submitting the application and fee in DELPROS, you must submit:

• An official transcript from the college(s) of optometry where you received a degree, sent directly from the college to the Board office. The transcript must show that you have received a degree of “Doctor of Optometry” from a legally incorporated and accredited optometric college or school accredited by the American Optometric Association.
• A State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check (CBC). Go to the Criminal Background Check Process page to find the Service Code required to obtain a State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check. Once you have your Service Code, you will be directed to the IdentoGO website for instructions to complete the fingerprinting process.
  • Criminal background checks completed for any other purpose (e.g., employment, licensure in other states) will not meet this requirement.
• A copy of front and back of your current cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification for adults and children.
• State/Jurisdiction Licensure Verification sent directly to the Board office from each state or jurisdiction in which you currently hold or have ever held a license.
• A self-query from the National Practitioner Protection Data Bank (NPDB) website at npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov. NPDB will mail the self-query report to your address. When you receive the report, upload the original report into DELPROS.
• A notarized Statement of Supervising Doctor form completed and signed by each doctor who will supervise you during your internship and sent directly to the Board office. If more than one doctor will supervise you, each must submit a separate statement.