Ariz. Admin. Code § R4-21-209 - Continuing Education Requirement

A. A licensee shall complete 32 hours of approved Continuing Education during each biennial license renewal period. The licensee shall ensure that in each biennial license renewal period:

1. At least eight hours of the approved Continuing Education is in the area of diagnosis, treatment, and management of disease of the human eye and its adnexa and pharmaceutical use appropriate to the authority held by the licensee;

2. For licensees holding a current DEA Registration, at least three hours of the approved Continuing Education shall be obtained in the area of opioid-related, substance use disorder-related or addiction-related Continuing Education.

2 3. No more than 12 hours of the approved Continuing Education shall be obtained through self-instructed media. All self-instructed media shall be COPE or ACCME approved.

3 4. No more than four hours of the approved Continuing Education are in the area of practice management;

4 5. No more than one hour of approved Continuing Education is claimed for each day of instruction in a course of study approved under R4-21-207 to a maximum of four hours; and

5 6. No more than four hours of approved Continuing Education are claimed for publishing or presenting a paper, report, or book that deals with current developments, skills, procedures, or treatments related to the practice of the profession of optometry.

6 7. No more than one (1) hour of Continuing Education requirements shall be claimed for obtaining CPR certification.

B. If a licensee obtains more than 32 hours of approved Continuing Education during a biennial renewal period, the licensee shall not claim the extra hours of approved Continuing Education during a subsequent biennial renewal period.

C. During the biennial renewal period in which a licensee is first licensed, the licensee shall obtain a prorated number of hours of approved Continuing Education for each month remaining in the biennial renewal period. The hours shall be calculated at four hours per quarter of a year to include the quarter in which the application for licensure is approved by the Board.

D. A licensee shall not claim as approved Continuing Education any educational program or course completed before being licensed in Arizona.

E. A licensee shall obtain a certificate or other evidence of attendance from the provider of each approved Continuing Education attended that includes the following:

1. Name of the licensee,

2. License number of the licensee,

3. Name of the approved Continuing Education,

4. Name of the Continuing Education provider,

5. Date, time, and location of the approved Continuing Education, and

6. Number of hours of approved Continuing Education and number of hours relating to practice management.

F. For the purpose of license renewal, Continuing Education shall be verified through the ARBO OE Tracker or other comparable program, using the licensee's individual Continuing Education report.

G. A licensee shall maintain the report or other evidence of attendance described in subsection (E) for at least two years from the date of attendance.

H. A licensee shall submit to the Board a copy of the report obtained during a biennial renewal period as proof of attendance at Continuing Education courses.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R4-21-209

Adopted effective February 7, 1986 (Supp. 86-1). Section R4-21-209 renumbered to R4-21-307 effective April 1, 1991 (Supp. 91-2). New Section R4-21-209 renumbered from R4-21-208 and amended effective November 5, 1998 (Supp. 98-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 11 A.A.R. 1864, effective May 3, 2005 (Supp. 05-2). Former R4-21-209 renumbered to R4-21-212; new R4-21-209 renumbered from R4-21-208 and amended by final rulemaking at 14 A.A.R. 12, effective February 2, 2008 (Supp. 07-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 22 A.A.R. 328, effective 3/28/2016. Amended by final rulemaking at 25 A.A.R. 431, effective 4/5/2019.