Ohio Admin. Code 4725-9-03 - Board approval of continuing education
Continuing education programs must meet the following requirements in order to receive board approval and credit.
(A) Optometrists:
(1) Programs shall relate to the practice of
optometry that will contribute to the advancement, extension and enhancement of
professional skill, clinical and scientific knowledge of the participants and
enable them to render continuously better and more comprehensive optometric
service to the recipients of their care.
(2) Speakers, lecturers and others
participating in the presentation of the programs must be recognized as
possessing requisite qualifications and being expert and of recognized repute
in their area of instruction.
(3)
Programs shall be available to all Ohio optometrists. Limitations may be
necessary based on space, time or format of presentation and must be so noted
on application. Any program that is too restrictive may be denied
approval.
(4) Programs cannot be
used to market the sponsor's/presenter's
products or services.
(5) The board
will not approve for continuing education credit for articles written by the
optometrist requesting the credit.
(6) The board, in its discretion, may approve
a sponsor's continuing education documentation for a presenter to receive
continuing education credit.
(7)
The presenter's credit will be the same number of hours as the actual
continuing education course. The maximum number of continuing education credits
earned per annual
biennial CE year is six
twelve hours. The
continuing education credit earned shall be only one time per course with no
exceptions.
(8) Practice management
and/or ethics jurisprudence courses are approved for a maximum of four hours
continuing education credit.
(9)
Public health courses are approved for a maximum of three hours continuing
education credit in any one compliance year.
(10) Written home study or electronic media
(internet, webinars) courses will receive credit when the board is provided a
record showing results of tests given on the course which is graded by an
accredited optometric college or institution as approved by the board. No more
than fifteen
thirty hours credit will be granted in this category
in any one year unless the optometrist can document
inability to attend live in-person on-site courses. This does not
preclude a presenter from using electronic media programs in conjunction with
their presentation.
(11) One hour
of credit requires at least fifty minutes of instruction.
(12) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation refresher
training is acceptable for up to three hours credit for any one continuing
education period once every two years. The three hours can be utilized for
pharmacology, continuing education
compliance.
(13) Grand rounds,
surgery observation, and other procedure oriented methods may be approved for
continuing education credit. No more than eight
sixteen hours
credit will be granted in this category in any one
year.
(14) Licensees may
be granted up to no more than eight
sixteen hours credit each CE study year by providing
volunteer health care services to indigent and uninsured persons at a rate of
one credit hour for each sixty minutes spent providing volunteer health care
services in accordance with section
4745.04 of the Revised Code.
These services shall be performed without receiving any compensation or other
form of remuneration. Hours will not apply towards the
ten
twenty
pharmacology hour requirement.
(15)
Approved educational programs include, but are not limited to, those
hereinafter listed. Approval is based on past performances and continued
maintenance of acceptable standards and must meet the applicable criteria set
forth in rule of the Administrative Code.
(a)
Educational courses and meetings of a nationally accredited college of
optometry.
(b) Educational courses
and meetings that are accredited by the accreditation council for continuing
medical education.
(c) Educational
courses and meetings approved by the council on optometric practitioner
education (COPE).
(d) Educational
courses and meetings certified/approved by a Canadian province or state
optometry board or its equivalent.
(e) Educational course and meetings provided
for licensed optometrist serving in the active guard, or reserve components of
the unifomed services of the United States. Approval shall be based on receipt
of a letter from the commanding officer certifying the training meets the
applicable requirements in rule of the Administrative Code.
(f) Other educational courses and meetings
that are approved by the board as meeting the applicable criteria in rule of
the Administrative Code, after submission of one copy of the application for
optometric continuing education credit. Requests for approval of continuing
education must be submitted by the sponsor and will not be considered if
submitted by an individual attendee.
(B) Opticians and
ocularists:
(1) Applications for
approval of optician and ocularistry
continuing education not currently approved by a nationally recognized agency
for credentialing of continuing education such as American board of opticianry,
national contact lens examiners, National examining
board of ocularists shall be submitted on a form as designated by the
board not less than sixty
thirty days prior to the date of the proposed program.
The application shall include, but is not limited to:
(a) Sponsor name and sponsor contact
information;
(b) Registration
information;
(c) Speaker
credentials indicating that the speaker or presenter possesses requisite
qualifications and expertise in the area of instruction;
(d) Course start and end times;
(e) Summary of the types of hours
requested;
(f) Presentation format
and course outline;
(g) A copy of
the proof of completion certificate, which includes the following information:
(i) Space for the printed name and signature
of the licensee and license number;
(ii) Title and date of the program;
(iii) Name of the provider; and,
(iv) The number and type of hours
earned.
(2) All
continuing education shall relate to the practice of opticianry
or ocularistry as applicable and in
accordance with rules of this chapter.
(3) Continuing education related to practice
management, office procedures, social legislation and any other courses not
directly relating to optical dispensing or
ocularistry may be considered for management credit.
(4) Programs shall be made available to any
Ohio licensed dispensing optician or licensed
ocularist.
(5) Credit
shall be awarded on the basis of an academic hour. To receive an hour credit,
one must attend one full academic hour. No fractional hour shall be
awarded.
(6) The board, in its
discretion, may approve a sponsor's continuing education documentation for a
presenter to receive continuing education credit.
(7) The presenter's credit will be the same
number of hours as the actual continuing education course. The maximum number
of continuing education credits earned per annual
biennial CE
year is three
six hours. The continuing education credit earned
shall be only one time per course with no exceptions.
(8) Any of the following may be used by a
licensed optician or licensed ocularist to
satisfy the continuing education requirements set forth in section
4725.51 of the Revised Code and
this chapter of the Administrative Code:
(a) A
continuing education activity which has been approved by the board;
(b) A continuing education activity which has
been approved by a nationally recognized accreditation system of continuing
education for opticians or ocularists, such
as, but not limited to:
(iv)(iii) Educational
courses and meetings that are accredited by a Canadian province or state
opticianry / ocularistry board or its
equivalent.
(i) American board of
opticianry (ABO);
(ii) National
contact lens examiners (NCLE);
(iii) National examining board of
ocularists (NEBO); and
(9)
The following activities shall not be used by a licensed optician
or licensed ocularist to satisfy the
continuing education requirements of section
4725.51 of the Revised Code and
this chapter:
(a) Repetition of any education
activity with identical content and course objectives within a single
reporting
biennial period;
(b) An agency specific orientation or
in-service program;
(c) A
self-directed independent study such as reading of texts or journal articles
which have not been approved by the board as an independent study;
(d) Participation in clinical practice which
is not part of an approved continuing education activity;
(e) A personal development
activity;
(f) Professional meetings
or conventions except for those portions designated as a board-approved
continuing education activity;
(g)
Community service or volunteer practice;
(h) Continuing education ordered by the board
pursuant to disciplinary action;
(i) Membership in an opticianry
or ocularistry organization; or
(j) Any other as determined by the
board.
(10) Continuing
education program definitions for opticians and
ocularists:
(a) "Academic hour" means
fifty to sixty minutes of continuing education.
(b) "Conference" or "seminar" means a meeting
of eyecare professionals for discussing matters of common concern and an
exchange of views and information for the purpose of exploring a
subject.
(c) "Continuing education"
means a planned learning activity that builds upon a licensee's pre-licensure
education and apprenticeship which enables the license holder to acquire or
improve skills, knowledge, or behavior that promotes professional and technical
development and advances the licesnsee's career goals.
(d) "Program" means the presentation of the
approved content of individual courses of a seminar/conference.
(e) "Proof of completion" means a legible
copy of the continuing education certificate which verifies that the licensee
has satisfactorily completed approved continuing education or an electronic
listing from a provider with licensee name, proper format of license number,
date completed, course title, type of course, number of continuing education
hours, and approved organization.
(f) "Sponsor" means the planner of the
conference, seminar or program.
Notes
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4725.09, 4725.44
Rule Amplifies: 4725.09, 4725.16, 4725.44
Prior Effective Dates: 03/10/1975, 07/28/2008, 10/01/2011, 08/30/2019, 07/18/2022
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