243 CMR 5.10 - Mandatory Continuing Acupuncture Education
(1)
Condition of
Renewal . A full licensee is required to complete 30 hours of
continuing acupuncture education per renewal period as a condition of renewal
of his/her license. The renewal period is each two year period that begins on
the date that a license is issued or renewed by the Committee and ends on the
following renewal date. At the time of renewal, each licensee will be required
to submit a signed, notarized statement, on a form provided by the Committee,
attesting to completion of the continuing education requirements set forth in
243 CMR 5.10. Failure to comply with the continuing education requirements of
243 CMR 5.10 will result in the non-renewal of the license.
(a)
Herbal Therapy
Distinction. A licensee seeking Committee approval to employ
herbal therapy as part of his/her acupuncture practice must complete 30 hours
of continuing education per renewal cycle, and at least ten hours of those 30
hours shall be directly related to Herbology. Pursuant to 243 CMR 5.10, the
licensee must also have at least 15 hours of continuing education credits
directly related to acupuncture, and at least five hours directly or indirectly
related to acupuncture or herbology.
(b) For licensees certified by the Committee
to employ herbs in the practice of acupuncture, failure to comply with the
continuing education requirement of 243 CMR 5.10(1)(a) regarding the study of
herbal medicine will result in the non-renewal of the certification to employ
herbology as a part of the license's acupuncture practice. An applicant failing
to meet the herbology continuing education requirements may still have his/her
license to practice acupuncture renewed, provided the licensee has otherwise
complied with all other applicable provisions of
243 CMR 5.07
and 243 CMR 5.10. However, the license issued will no longer contain an
herbology distinction.
(2)
Quality of
Education. The Committee anticipates that licensees will maintain
the high standards of the profession in selecting quality educational programs
to fulfill the continuing education requirement. All continuing education
programs or courses must be formal learning programs relevant to the study or
practice of acupuncture, which contribute directly to the professional
competence of the licensee. Continuing education courses may include certain
courses in Western medicine. However, at least 15 hours of the 30 hours of
continuing acupuncture education shall be spent in courses directly related to
acupuncture.
(a) The Committee may approve
courses and programs to satisfy the continuing acupuncture education
requirement. A continuing education course or program must meet all of the
following requirements:
1. The course or
program meets the standards established and recognized by the
Committee;
2. The instructor(s)
must have adequate credentials to teach the subject matter, as determined by
the Committee;
3. A complete record
of attendance is maintained on file by the sponsor of the course or
program;
4. The content of the
course or program is related to the practice of acupuncture, as defined in
243
CMR 5.00;
5. The course or program has clearly stated
educational or professional objectives that can be realistically
accomplished;
6. Any self-directed
course, program or activity must require that the student pass a test
demonstrating adequate mastery of the subject matter in order to obtain a
certificate of completion.
7. A
credit hour must be at least 50 consecutive minutes in length;
8. There must be a written outline, syllabus,
text, bibliography or other written material and these materials shall be
updated at least every four years by the sponsor or sponsoring
entity.
9. If the program includes
a clinical component, the instructor must be a licensee possessing the
appropriate credentials to provide instruction.
10. A licensee shall not receive credit hours
for taking the same course or program sponsored by the same instructor or
entity during consecutive licensure/renewal periods, unless the course has been
substantially revised or updated.
(b) A sponsor may request Committee approval
of his/her continuing education course or program. Any such request shall be
made in writing to the Committee, and the Committee shall be furnished with the
curriculum vitae of the instructor(s), the outline, syllabus, bibliography and
other materials describing the course or program. The sponsor shall ensure that
attendance will be taken per session and will provide certification of
attendance, including the number of hours attended, to the Committee upon
request. Sponsors of continuing education programs will be expected to maintain
in their records the names of all continuing education attendees and the number
of hours awarded for attendance at each program.
(3)
Verification and
Recordkeeping.
(a) A licensee is
required to maintain records of his/her 30 hours of continuing acupuncture
education per renewal period, for at least two renewal cycles. The Committee
may require that a licensee provide verification of his/her continuing
acupuncture education credits at any time. The Committee's inquiry shall not
extend for a period exceeding two prior renewal periods. The Committee may
randomly audit licensees' continuing education credits.
(b) If a continuing education statement
submitted by an applicant for biennial license renewal is not approved, the
applicant shall be so notified and the applicant may be granted a period of
time by the Committee in which to correct the deficiencies noted.
(c) The licensee shall retain a certificate
of attendance or letter of attestation issued by a program sponsor for each CAE
course or program. For each credit hour earned, the licensee must be able to
document the following information:
1. the
title of the program;
2. the number
of hours spent in the program;
3.
the name of the sponsor and/or the instructor of the program; and
4. the date(s) the program was
given.
(4)
Extension of Time to Complete Continuing Acupuncture Education
Requirements.
(a) A licensee may
apply to the Committee for an extension of time to complete the portion of the
CAE requirements that he/she cannot meet. The licensee must submit the request
to the Committee no later than 60 days prior to the license renewal date. The
request shall be signed under the penalties of perjury and shall contain the
following information:
1. An explanation of
the licensee's failure to complete his/her continuing acupuncture education
requirements;
2. A list of the
continuing acupuncture education courses and hours that the licensee has
completed; and
3. The licensee's
plan for satisfying his/her continuing acupuncture education
requirements.
(b) The
Committee, in its sole discretion, may grant a waiver or extension of the CAE
requirement. The grounds for waiver or extension include, but are not limited
to:
1. Prolonged illness of the licensee;
or
2. Inaccessibility or
unavailability of CAE programs.
(c) Licensees granted an extension by the
Committee will be given additional time to complete the Committee's CAE
requirement. Licensees required to make up a deficiency in CAE credits may
apply those credits only to the period in which the deficiency arose.
Notes
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