A person shall be licensed without examination provided that, within one year of the effective date of this article, the individual:

1. 1. files an application and pays the appropriate fees to the department; and

2. 2.

   1. (a) is certified by a national certifying or accrediting board for respiratory therapy technicians acceptable to the department, or
   2. (b) has practiced as a respiratory therapy technician in a hospital, as defined in article twenty-eight of the public health law, in the state for not less than two years within the last five years, or
   3. (c) has met the educational standards of a hospital, as defined in article twenty-eight of the public health law, or, in the case of a hospital operated by a public benefit corporation, has met the educational standards of such corporation, and has practiced as a respiratory therapy technician for at least one year in such hospital.