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THE STATE
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY
OF THE STATE OF |
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TO: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee |
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FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
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SUBJECT: |
Proposed Amendment to the Regulations of the
Commissioner of Education Relating to Continuing Education Requirements
for Optometrists Certified to Use Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agents |
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DATE: |
February 27, 2007 |
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STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goal 3 |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
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SUMMARY
Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)
Should the Board of Regents repeal subdivision (f) of section 66.5 and add a new section 66.6 to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, relating to continuing education requirements for optometrists certified to use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents?
Reason(s) for Consideration
Review of Policy.
Proposed Handling
The proposed amendment is submitted for adoption as a permanent rule.
Procedural History
The proposed amendment was discussed at the meeting of the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee in January 2007. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making was published in the State Register on January 3, 2007. Supporting materials for the proposed amendment are available upon request from the Secretary to the Board of Regents.
Background Information
A subdivision of section 66.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education was added in 1996, to outline the requirements for continuing education to be completed by licensed optometrists certified to use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to clarify the existing mandatory continuing education requirements and provide more flexibility to the Department for exceptional circumstances that lead to non-compliance. The proposed amendment makes the following major changes:
Under the current regulations, an applicant must complete at least 36 hours of continuing education, however, there is no standard as to what methods of study are acceptable to the Department. This amendment requires at least three-quarters of such continuing education to consist of live in-person instruction and up to one-quarter of such continuing education to consist of instruction through audio, audio-visual, written, on-line, and other media during which the student must be able to communicate and interact with the instructor.
The proposed amendment is also needed to address the Department’s current
lack of ability to adjust the continuing education requirements for exceptional
circumstances that lead to non-compliance.
This amendment provides the
Department with the flexibility to permit an applicant to complete all or part
of the continuing education requirement through an acceptable alternative course
of study if the applicant documents good cause that prevents compliance with the
regular continuing education requirements.
However, the applicant will not be able to renew his/her certification
until the continuing education requirement is met. This amendment further requires licensed
optometrists to certify to the Department that they have complied with the
continuing education requirement; or that the applicant has an approved
adjustment to such continuing education requirement from the Department.
Under the current regulations, there are no requirements for the approval
of program sponsors or courses. The
proposed amendment provides that the Department shall deem approved courses
approved by the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education or an organization
determined by the Department with assistance from the State Board for Optometry
to have adequate standards or a course offered by a postsecondary institution
authorized to offer programs in optometry leading to licensure. Any course not deemed approved must be
reviewed by the Department. For
Department review, the sponsor will be required to submit an application for
advance approval of the course 14 days prior to the date of commencement of such
course. Any course approved by the
Department will only be approved for the specified dates that the course is
offered.
In order to ensure compliance, the proposed amendment also provides the
Department with the authority to conduct site visits of, or request information
from a sponsor of an approved course and provides the Department with the
discretion to deny or terminate a course’s approved status if it is not meeting
the requirements set forth in this section.
Recommendation
I recommend that the Board of Regents take the following action:
VOTED: That subdivision (f) of section 66.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education be repealed and a new section 66.6 be added, as submitted, effective April 12, 2007.
Timetable for Implementation
The effective date of the proposed amendment is April 12, 2007.
AMENDMENT
TO THE REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION
Pursuant to sections 207, 6507, 7101 and 7101-a of the Education Law.
1.
Subdivision (f) of section 66.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of
Education is repealed, effective April 12, 2007.
2.
Section 66.6 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education is added,
effective April 12, 2007, as follows:
66.6
Continuing education for licensed optometrists certified to use phase one and/or
phase two therapeutic pharmaceutical agents.
(a) As used in this section, acceptable
accrediting agency shall mean an organization accepted by the department as a
reliable authority for the purpose of accreditation at the postsecondary level,
applying its criteria for granting accreditation in a fair, consistent and
nondiscriminatory manner, such as an agency recognized for this purpose by the
United States Department of Education.
(b) Mandatory continuing education
requirement.
(1) General requirements.
(i) During each triennial registration
period, meaning a registration period of three years duration, an applicant for
registration shall complete at least 36 hours of formal continuing education
acceptable to the department as defined in paragraph (2) of this
subdivision. At least
three-quarters of such continuing education in a registration period shall
consist of live in-person instruction in a formal course of study. Up to one-quarter of such continuing
education in a registration period may consist of live instruction in a formal
course of study offered through audio, audio-visual, written, on-line, and other
media, during which the student must be able to communicate and interact with
the instructor.
(ii) Proration. During each registration or
certification period of less than three years duration, an applicant shall
complete acceptable continuing education, as defined in paragraph (2) of this
subdivision, on a prorated basis at the rate of one hour of continuing education
per month for such registration or certification
period.
(2) Acceptable continuing education. To be acceptable to the department,
continuing education shall be:
(i)
in the area of ocular disease and pharmacology and may include both didactic and
clinical components; and
(ii)
approved by the department pursuant to subdivision (g) of this section.
(c) Adjustments to the requirement.
(i) An adjustment to the continuing
education requirement, as prescribed in subdivision (b) of this section, may be made by the
department, to permit the applicant to complete all or part of the continuing
education requirement through equivalent study acceptable to the department
provided that the applicant documents good cause that prevents compliance with
the regular continuing education requirement, which good cause shall include,
but not be limited to, any of the following reasons: poor health certified by a physician; or
a specific physical or mental disability certified by an appropriate health care
professional; or extended active duty with the armed forces of the United
States; or other good cause beyond the applicant’s control which in the judgment
of the department makes it impossible for the applicant to comply with the
continuing education requirement in a timely manner.
(ii) The department may permit an applicant
to complete all or a part of the continuing education requirement in the new
registration period through an approved adjustment pursuant to this subdivision,
provided that the applicant will not obtain a renewal of certification until the
continuing education requirement is met.
In such a case, the applicant will also have to complete the continuing
education requirement for the new registration period.
(d) Renewal of certification. At each re-registration for a renewal of
certification, applicants shall certify to the department that they have
complied with the continuing education requirement set forth in subdivision (b)
of this section or an adjusted requirement approved by the department in
accordance with subdivision (c) of this section.
(e)
Licensee records.
(1)
Each licensee subject to this section shall maintain and ensure access by the
department to evidence of completed continuing education including:
(i)
the title of the course or program;
(ii)
the number of hours completed;
(iii)
the sponsor's name and any identifying number;
(iv)
attendance or participation verification; and
(v)
the date and location of the course.
(2)
Retention. Such records shall be
retained for at least six years from the date of completion of the course and
shall be available for review by the department in the administration of the
requirements of this section.
(f)
Measurement of continuing education study.
Continuing education credit shall be granted only for acceptable
continuing education as prescribed in subdivision (b) of this section. For continuing education courses, a
minimum of 50 minutes of study shall equal one continuing education hour of
credit. For credit-bearing
university or college courses, each semester-hour of credit shall equal 15
continuing education hours of credit, and each quarter-hour of credit shall
equal 10 continuing education hours of credit.
(g)
Continuing education course approval.
(1)
To be approved by the department, a continuing education course shall meet the
requirements of either paragraph (2) or (3) of this subdivision.
(2)
The department shall deem approved a course that is in any one or more of the
subjects prescribed for acceptable continuing education in subparagraph
(b)(2)(i) of this section and that is either:
(i) approved by the Council on Optometric
Practitioner Education or an organization determined by the department with
assistance from the State Board for Optometry to have adequate standards for
approving sponsors of continuing education for professionals regulated by Title
VIII of the Education Law that include, but are not limited to, standards that
are equivalent to the standards prescribed in clauses (3)(ii)(a) and (b) of this
subdivision; or
(ii)
is offered by a postsecondary institution that is authorized to offer programs
in optometry leading to licensure that are registered pursuant to Part 52 of
this Title or accredited by an acceptable accrediting
agency.
(3) Department review of courses.
(i) The department shall conduct a review of
courses that are not deemed approved pursuant to the requirements of paragraph
(2) of this section.
(ii) A sponsor desiring to obtain approval of
a continuing education course based upon a department review under this
paragraph shall submit an application for advance approval of the course at
least 14 days prior to the date of the commencement of such course that
documents that the sponsor:
(a) will offer courses of learning in any
one or more of the subjects prescribed for acceptable continuing education in
subparagraph (b)(2)(i) of this section;
(b)
provides staff who are qualified to teach the courses that will be
offered, including, but not limited to, faculty of a college of optometry
accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency, or a physician who specializes
in diseases of the eye, or by licensed optometrists certified to treat patients
with phase two therapeutic pharmaceutical agents, or qualified staff who are
authorities in the health sciences specially qualified, in the opinion of the
State Board for Optometry, to teach such courses; and
(c)
will maintain records for at least six years from the date of completion
of course work, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, the name and
curriculum vitae of the faculty, a record of attendance of licensed optometrists
in the course, an outline of the course, the date and location of the course,
and the number of hours for completion of the course. In the event that the sponsor of approved
courses discontinues operation, the governing body of such sponsor shall notify
the department and transfer all records as directed by the
department.
(iii) A course that is approved by the
department pursuant to the requirements of this paragraph shall only be approved
for specified dates that the course will be offered.
(iv) The department may conduct site visits
of, or request information from a sponsor of an approved course to ensure
compliance with the requirements of this paragraph, and a sponsor shall
cooperate with the department in permitting such a site visit and providing such
information.
(v) A determination by the department that a
course approved pursuant the requirements of this paragraph is not meeting the
standards set forth in this paragraph shall result in the denial or termination
of the approved status of the course.