Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0480-01-.12 - CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE)
(1) Basic
Requirements
(a) Each person licensed by the
Board is required to complete nine (9) hours of continuing education during
each calendar year which shall include: four (4) hours in spectacles, two (2)
hours in contact lenses, one (1) hour in jurisprudence and two (2) hours in
optional courses.
1. The one (1) hour
jurisprudence credit may be obtained by either:
(i) Successfully completing the Board's
Continuing Education Jurisprudence Credit examination; or
(ii) Attending one (1) morning session of a
regularly scheduled meeting of the Board.
2. Licensees who attend one (1) morning
session of a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board must sign the sign-in
sheet, maintained by the Board's administrator. The licensee must record their
name, license number, the time the licensee arrived at the Board meeting, and
the time the licensee departed the Board meeting to receive one (1) hour of
jurisprudence continuing education credit. The morning session shall be not
less than 50 minutes.
(b) Each licensee must retain proof of
attendance and completion of all continuing education requirements. This
documentation must be retained for a period of four (4) years from the end of
the calendar year in which the continuing education was required. This
documentation must be produced for inspection and verification, if requested in
writing by the Board during its verification process. The Board will not
maintain continuing education files.
1.
Documentation must include the date, location, and total time transpired if the
continuing education was presented in a traditional format.
2. Documentation must include proof of
successful completion of a written postcourse examination to evaluate material
retention if the course was presented in a multi-media format.
(c) The licensee must, within
thirty (30) days of a request from the Board, provide evidence of continuing
education activities. Certificates verifying the licensee's attendance or
original letters from course providers are such evidence.
(d) For new licensees, submitting proof of
successful completion of a two (2) year course of study in opticianry in a
college level program recognized and approved by the Board, pursuant to Rule
0480-01-.04(4)(b), or submitting proof of successful completion of a three (3)
year training program, pursuant to Rule 0480-01-.04(4)(c), shall be considered
proof of sufficient preparatory education to constitute continuing education
clock hour credit for the calendar year in which the applicant is
approved.
(2) Acceptable
Continuing Education - Traditional Formats
(a)
The following organizations and entities are authorized to present, sponsor, or
approve continuing education courses, events, and activities related to the
practice of Opticianry and need no prior authorization or approval from the
Board.
1. American Board of Opticianry
(ABO),
2. National Contact Lens
Examiners (NCLE),
3. Tennessee
Dispensing Opticians Association (TDOA).
(b) The Board will accept any other
Dispensing Optician clinic, workshop, seminar or lecture attended in Tennessee
or attended at any national or regional meeting not in Tennessee for continuing
education (CE) credit if it is in accordance with the following guidelines:
1. The subject matter must fall within the
limit of subjects approved by the Board.
2. Registrants, instructors, and panelists
will be eligible for credit.
3. CE
will be awarded on the following basis:
(i)
Any single session covering not less than 2 1/2 hours will be assigned 3 hours
of CE.
(ii) Any single session
covering not less than 1 hour, 40 minutes will be assigned 2 hours of
CE.
(iii) Any single session
covering not less than 50 minutes will be assigned 1 hour of CE.
(iv) The hours shall be based on actual
instruction or program time, excluding registration time and coffee breaks, but
including question and answer periods.
(v) The total credits to be earned in any
single 24-hour period cannot exceed 12.
4. Course approval procedure for course
providers - The subject matter, instructor, and course provider shall have
prior approval from the Board. To obtain prior approval, the course provider
must have delivered to the Board administrative office at least thirty (30)
days prior to a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board that precedes the
course, documentation which includes all of the following items which must be
resubmitted if changes are made after receipt of approval from the Board:
(i) A course content description or
outline;
(ii) Names of all
lecturers;
(iii) Brief resume of
all lecturers;
(iv) Number of hours
of educational credit requested;
(v) Dates, locations, and hours of
course;
(vi) Copies of materials to
be utilized in the course;
(vii)
How verification of continuous attendance is to be documented; and
(viii) How notification to every Tennessee
licensed Dispensing Optician is to be accomplished.
5. Under no circumstances shall continuing
education courses be approved if the materials required by part 4. of this
subparagraph are not received at least thirty (30) days prior to a regularly
scheduled meeting of the Board at which approval is sought that precedes the
course.
6. Notwithstanding the
provisions of subparagraph (2)(a), out-of-state continuing education providers
may seek course approval if they are a dispensing optician regulatory agency or
association from a state that borders Tennessee.
7. Notwithstanding the provisions of
subparagraph (2)(a), any licensee may seek approval to receive credit for
successfully completing continuing education courses by submitting the
documentation required in subparts (2)(b)4.(i) through (vi) and part
(2)(b)5.
(3)
Acceptable Continuing Education - Multi-Media Formats
(a) The Board will accept no more than two
(2) hours of the annual requirement as provided in subparagraph (1)(a) in
multi-media formats for continuing education (CE) credit if it is in accordance
with the following guidelines:
1. Under no
circumstances shall multi-media format continuing education courses be approved
for course providers or awarded CE credit for individual licensees if the
materials required by subparagraphs (3)(b) or (3)(c) are not received at least
thirty (30) days prior to a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board that
precedes any licensee's successful completion of the course.
2. The number of CE hours awarded for any
course shall be determined by the Board during the course approval procedure as
provided in subparagraphs (3)(b) or (3)(c).
3. The licensee must successfully complete a
written post-course examination to evaluate material retention.
(b) Course approval procedure for
individual licensees - Any licensee may seek approval to receive credit for
successfully completing multi-media format continuing education courses by
submitting the documentation required in parts (2)(b)4. and (2)(b)5.
(c) Multi-media courses may include courses
utilizing:
1. The Internet
2. Interactive Teleconferencing
3. Interactive Videoconferencing
(4) Violations
(a) Any licensee who falsely certifies
attendance and completion of the required hours of continuing education
requirements, or who does not or can not adequately substantiate completed
continuing education hours with the required documentation, may be subject to
disciplinary action.
(b) Prior to
the institution of any disciplinary proceedings, a letter shall be issued to
the last known address of the individual stating the facts or conduct which
warrant the intended action.
(c)
The licensee has thirty (30) days from the date of notification to show
compliance with all lawful requirements for the retention of the
license.
(d) Any licensee who fails
to show compliance with the required continuing education hours in response to
the notice contemplated by subparagraph (b) of this paragraph may be subject to
disciplinary action.
(e) Continuing
education hours obtained as a result of compliance with the terms of a Board
Order in any disciplinary action shall not be credited toward the continuing
education hours required to be obtained in any renewal period.
(5) Continuing Education for
Reactivation of License
(a) For reactivation
of retired licensure
1. An individual whose
license has been retired for three (3) years or less will be required to
fulfill continuing education requirements as outlined in this rule as a
prerequisite to reinstatement. Those hours will be considered replacement hours
and cannot be counted during the next licensure renewal period. An individual
whose license has been retired for more than three (3) years shall apply, take
and pass the examinations as required by the Board, pursuant to Rule
0480-01.08, prior to being considered for reinstatement.
2. Any individual requesting reactivation of
a license which has been retired must submit along with the reactivation
request, verification which indicates the attendance and completion of hours of
continuing education which must have been begun and successfully completed
within 6 months immediately preceding the date of requested reinstatement. The
continuing education hours completed to reinstate a retired license shall not
be credited toward the continuing education hours required to be completed by
the end of the calendar year following reinstatement.
3. The Board, upon receipt of a written
request and explanation, may waive or condition any or all of the continuing
education required for reactivation of a retired certificate or license in
emergency situations.
(b) For reactivation of revoked licensure -
No person whose license has been revoked for failure to comply with continuing
education may be reinstated without complying with the requirements. Continuing
education will accumulate at the same rate as for those licenses which are
active. The required clock hours of continuing education must have been begun
and successfully completed within six (6) months immediately following the date
of revocation or suspension. A license which has been revoked for noncompliance
with the CE requirements shall also be subject to the renewal late fee pursuant
to Rule 0480-01-.06.
(c) For
reactivation of expired licensure - No person whose license has expired may be
reinstated without submitting evidence of continuing education. The continuing
education hours documented at the time of reinstatement must equal the hours
required, had the license remained in an active status, and must have been
successfully completed within six (6) months immediately preceding the date of
reinstatement.
(d) Continuing
education hours obtained as a prerequisite for reactivating a license may not
be counted toward the calendar year requirement.
(6) Waiver of Continuing Education
(a) The Board may grant a waiver to certify
attendance and completion of the required hours of continuing education, if it
can be shown to the Board that the failure to comply was not attributable to or
was beyond the physical capabilities of the individual, i.e., disability,
residence abroad, military service, or other instances of undue hardship. Such
requests for waiver must be accompanied by written documentation acceptable to
the Board.
(b) Waivers will be
considered only on an individual basis and may be requested by submitting the
following items to the Board administrative office.
1. A written request for a waiver which
specifies what requirement is sought to be waived and a written and signed
explanation of the reasons for the request.
2. Any documentation which supports the
reason for the waiver requested or which may be subsequently requested by the
Board.
(c) A waiver
approved by the Board is effective for only the calendar year for which the
waiver of the requirement is sought, unless otherwise specified in writing by
the Board.
Notes
Authority: T.C.A. ยงยง 63-1-107, 63-14-101, 63-14-103, 63-14-104, 63-14-106, 63-14-107, and 63-14-111.
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.