§ 8853. Special provisions; eligibility. An individual who meets the requirements for a license as a licensed pathologists' assistant except for examination and education and who has been performing the duties of a pathologists' assistant for two of the five years prior to the effective date of this article may be licensed without meeting additional requirements, provided that such individual submits an application to the department within two years of the effective date of this article. For this purpose, the applicant's supervising physicians must attest to the applicant's experience and competence.