Ariz. Admin. Code § R4-7-801 - Continuing Education Requirements
A. To be eligible to renew a license, a
licensee shall complete 12 credits of continuing education between January 1
and December 31 of each year, and document compliance with continuing education
requirements on the license renewal application as required by
R4-7-503(C).
Continuing education credit shall be given for a minimum of fifty minutes of
continuous study for each class hour. No credit shall be allowed for breaks or
for time expended for study outside of the classroom.
B. Basic requirements - The primary
consideration in determining whether or not a specific course qualifies as
acceptable continuing education is that it must be a formal program of learning
which will contribute directly to the professional competence of a licensee in
the practice of chiropractic. Each course shall be on subjects of clinical
benefit to the consumer of chiropractic services.
1. The content of the course, seminar or
workshop must be recognized by reputable authorities as having validity, and
must conform to the scope of practice for assessment, treatment and diagnosis
as authorized under A.R.S. §
32-925
and A.R.S. §
32-922.02.
2. Instructors shall be qualified by
education and/ or experience to provide instruction in the relevant subject
matter.
3. Each licensee is
responsible for determining in advance that the course which he or she attends
qualifies for continuing education credit under this Article.
C. A licensee shall only obtain
continuing education credit by:
1. Attending
a course, (which includes a seminar or workshop), through a provider and on a
subjects that have been pre-approved by the Board.
2. Participating in the development of, or
proctoring the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) examinations.
Continuing education credits earned in this manner are calculated as one credit
hour for each hour of participation in the development of the NBCE examination
for a maximum credit of eight hours per year, and one credit hour for each hour
proctoring the NBCE exam for a total of eight hours per year. A licensee shall
obtain a certificate of participation from the National Board of Chiropractic
Examiners to verify compliance with this provision.
3. By teaching a post-graduate course that
has been pre-approved by the Board for continuing education credit under this
Section as a faculty member of a college or university that is accredited by or
is in good standing with the Council on Chiropractic Education or is accredited
by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of
Education or the Private Postsec-ondary Education Board during the renewal
year. Continuing education credits earned in this manner are calculated as one
credit of continuing education for each hour of post-graduate course
instruction. A maximum of six credits of continuing education credit may be
earned in this manner annually.
4.
By completing a post-graduate mediated instruction or programmed learning
course pre-approved by the Board through an accredited college or university
that meets the requirements of A.R.S. §
32-931(B).
Mediated instruction and programmed learning refers to learning transmitted by
intermediate mechanisms such as webinar or other internet delivered courses
that are structured to confirm 50 minutes of continuous instruction for each
credit hour received. A licensee shall obtain a certificate of program
completion from the accredited college or university to verify compliance with
this provision.
D. The
following are predetermined to meet Board approval as providers for continuing
education. Additional approval is not required, nor should it be expected. An
application submitted for a course that falls under this subsection shall be
returned to the applicant without a review and subsection (E) does not apply.
Coursework provided by these entities is approved as meeting continuing
education requirements only for those subjects listed in subsections (J) and
(K) of this Section. Preapproval does not include mediated instruction or
programmed learning courses.
1. A college or
university that meets the requirements of A.R.S. §
32-921(B)(2)(a), the American Chiropractic Association and the International Chiropractors
Association, with qualified instructors and that provide courses that meet the
subject requirements under subsections (J) or (K).
2. CPR training provided or sponsored by the
American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or an entity that meets
equivalent standards of the American Heart Association and the American Red
Cross. A maximum of four credits of continuing education credit may be earned
in this manner annually.
3.
Participation in the development of or proctoring the NBCE
examinations.
E. Prior
approval is required for all course providers not mentioned in subsection (D)
and for all mediated instruction or programed learning courses regardless of
subsection (D). A provider applying for approval of a continuing education
course shall submit a complete application to the Board at least 60 days prior
to the anticipated initial date of the course if submitted by internet, or 75
days if provided in hard copy form. The Board shall notify the applicant in
writing that the package is either complete or incomplete. If the package is
incomplete, the notice shall specify the information that is missing and the
applicant must submit the missing information within 10 days of the notice. The
Board will not approve a course if a complete application has not been
submitted at least 15 business days prior to the initial date of the course
identified in the initial application. If the applicant changes the initial
date of the course or the course content or the instructors, it shall be
considered a new application. A complete application shall include:
1. The name, dates, and locations of the
course.
2. The number of hours
requested for approval.
3. The
subjects of the course, broken down by the specific time of instruction in/of
each subject.
4. A course
description including the content, explicit written objectives identifying
expected learner outcomes for each section of the course and teaching method
(i.e. lecture, discussion, PowerPoint, internet, webinar).
5. A detailed, hour by hour syllabus
identifying the subject of instruction for each hour, with the instructor for
each section identified. If less than an hour is dedicated to a subject, the
syllabus shall identify the number of minutes dedicated to instruction on that
subject.
6. A resume or curriculum
vitae for each instructor and an attestation of the following:
a. Licenses for all instructors are currently
in good standing.
b. No instructor
has had a license placed on probation or restricted within the past five years
in this or any other jurisdiction.
c. No instructor has ever had a license
suspended or surrendered for unprofessional conduct or revoked in this or any
other jurisdiction.
d. No
instructor has had a license application or renewal denied for unprofessional
conduct.
e. No instructor has been
convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or a felony in this or any
other jurisdiction.
7.
Documentation of license in good standing for each instructor for each state in
which the instructor has or currently holds a license, if applicable. If an
instructor is currently under investigation by a regulatory agency or is under
investigation for, or been charged with, a criminal offence, the applicant
shall disclose the investigation or charge and shall provide all relevant
records.
8. One letter of reference
for each course instructor from a person familiar with the instructor's
qualifications as an instructor and education and/or experience in the relevant
subject.
9. Identification of a
sponsor, if applicable, and disclosure of any connection between the provider
and/or instructor and/or sponsor of any commercial relationship and/or any
external entity giving financial support to the course. If the course does have
a sponsor, a completed sponsor/program provider agreement for continuing
education, signed and notarized by a responsible party must be provided with
the application.
10. Documentation
of the method by which attendance will be monitored, confirmed and
documented.
11. The name and
contact information for the attendance certifying officer with an attestation
that the certifying officer is supervised by the applicant provider and a
description of the supervision method employed to confirm that the certifying
officer is performing the duty of monitoring and confirming
attendance.
12. Attestation that
each course hour consists of no less than 50 minutes of continuous instruction
and that credit is not provided for breaks.
13. The non-refundable fee required under
R4-7-1301 for each course, whether individual or included in a program of
multiple courses.
14. The name,
address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail of a contact person.
15. Any other information required or
requested by the Board.
16. If the
course is a mediated instruction or programmed learning course, a detailed
description of the method used to confirm that the participant was engaged in
50 minutes of continuous instruction for each credit hour awarded.
17. The Board may require that the applicant
provide additional information in support of the application if the course
qualifications are not clearly demonstrated through the materials
provided.
18. At the request of a
provider, the Board may review courses for retroactive approval and waive the
requirement of 60 days, if the following requirements are met:
a. The provider submits an application for
retroactive course approval.
b.
Pays the nonrefundable retroactive application fee of $50.00.
c. The course was provided no more than 12
months prior to the application being submitted.
d. Meets all other requirements of this
section.
F.
The Board shall approve a continuing education course if the applicant has
submitted a complete application to the Board's satisfaction within the
time-frame required by this chapter and has demonstrated the following:
1. The course complies with this
Chapter.
2. The course instructor
is faculty at an accredited college or university that meets the requirements
of A.R.S. §
32-921(B)(2)(a) or demonstrates equivalent qualifications
through postgraduate study and experience teaching postgraduate coursework. An
instructor must:
a. Hold an applicable
license in good standing.
b. Shall
not have had a license placed on probation within the last five
years.
c. Shall not ever have had a
license suspended, surrendered for unprofessional conduct or revoked.
d. Shall not have had a license application
or renewal denied for unprofessional conduct.
e. Shall not or been convicted of a felony in
this or any other jurisdiction.
3. The course instructor is qualified by
education and experience to provide instruction in the relevant subject
matter.
4. The subject of the
course qualifies under subsections (D)(2) and (3), (J) and (K).
5. The course demonstrates attendance and/or
monitoring procedures. Monitoring procedures must provide confirmation that a
licensee was engaged in 50 minutes of continuous study for each credit
hour.
G. The Board shall
not approve a continuing education course if the applicant fails to submit a
complete application within the time-frame required by this Chapter or if:
1. The course does not qualify under this
Chapter.
2. The course subject does
not qualify for continuing education credit under subsections (D)(2) and (3),
(J) and (K).
3. The instructor's
does not qualify as per subsection (F)(2).
4. The instructor's references do not support
the qualifications of the instructor as per subsection (F).
5. The course primary focus is to promote a
product or service.
6. The course
requires participants to purchase a product or service.
7. The course has no significant relationship
to the assessment, diagnosis or treatment of patients within the scope of
practice of chiropractic as defined under A.R.S. §§
32-925
and
32-922.02.
8. The content cannot be verified.
9. The course refutes generally accepted
medical care and treatment and/or instructs participants to encourage patients
to stop taking medication and/or stops participating in generally accepted
medical care or fails to qualify under subsection (K).
H. A course approved by the Board pursuant to
subsections (E) and (F) shall be issued an approval number. Once approved, a
course provider shall:
1. Provide course
attendees with a certificate confirming course participation. The certificate
shall:
a.) include the name of the college or
university through which the course was completed, or the course approval code
issued by the Board, if applicable,
b.) the name and Arizona license number of
the attendee,
c.) the name of the
course provider, the course subject matter,
d.) the name of the course if different than
the subject matter listed,
e.) the
date and location of the course, and the number of hours of continuing
education completed.
2.
Maintain a list of all course attendees for a minimum of five years after each
date that the course is held, and shall provide a copy of the list to the board
within 10 days of a written request to do so.
3. Maintain a copy of the course syllabus and
stated learning objectives, a list of instructors and documentation of the
name, location and date of the course for a minimum of five years and shall
provide the Board with a copy these materials within 10 days of a written
request to do so.
4. Monitor course
attendance by each attendee in a manner that confirms that the attendee was
present and participating in the course for a continuous 50 minutes for each
hour of continuing education credited.
5. Notify the Board immediately of concerns
or problems that may arise regarding the approved course, to include discipline
being imposed on the license of an instructor or an instructor being convicted
of a criminal offense.
6. Reapply
for Board approval every two years no later than the first day of the month in
which the course was initially approved, and every time the subject of the
course changes and/or there is a change in instructors that does not include an
instructor already approved by the Board. Failure to reapply as per this
subsection shall disqualify the course for ongoing continuing education
credit.
7. Not represent that the
course is sanctioned or promoted by the state of Arizona Board of Chiropractic
Examiners. The provider may state that the course meets the continuing
education requirements as per A.R.S. §
32-931.
If the course has been directly approved by the Board, the provider may display
the Board's course approval number.
I. The Board may monitor a continuing
education provider's compliance with continuing education statutes and rules as
follows:
1. The Board may request any or all
documentation as per Section (H) of this rule from a board-approved Continuing
education provider for any course registered for license renewal to ensure
compliance with this rule.
2. A
representative of the Board may attend any approved continuing education course
for the purpose of verifying the content of the program and ensuring compliance
with the Board's continuing education rules at no charge to the Board
representative.
3. If the Board
finds that a course or provider is not compliant with the Continuing statutes
or rules, has misrepresented course content or instructors in an application,
failed to obtain new approval for a course with a change in subject or
instructor or failed to pay the course fee, the Board may withdraw its approval
for continuing credit for the course and/or the provider. The withdrawal of
approval shall be effective upon written notification to the provider's contact
of record by the Board.
4. The
Board shall notify a provider that it will consider withdrawal of course
approval and provide the date, time and location of the meeting at which the
matter will be discussed and possible action taken.
5. If approval is withdrawn, the Board shall
notify the provider of the reasons for withdrawal of approval.
6. The provider shall notify all Arizona
licensees who attended the course that any course hours obtained through the
course cannot be used for continuing education credit of license renewal in the
State of Arizona. If a provider fails to provide appropriate notice to Arizona
licensed attendees, within ten business days of written notice from the Board
that course approval has been withdrawn, that provider shall not be considered
for approval of continuing education credit in the future. The notice to the
Arizona licensed attendees must be made by certified mail in order to establish
documentation that the requirement was met.
J. Course subjects approved for continuing
education for renewal of an Arizona chiropractic license are:
1. Adjusting techniques;
2. Spinal analysis;
3. Physical medicine modalities and
therapeutic procedures as defined in A.R.S. §
32-900(7) and (8);
4. Record keeping and
documentation;
5. Ethics;
6. CPR;
7. Public health;
8. Communicable diseases;
9. Sexual boundaries;
10. Emergency procedures;
11. Acupuncture;
12. Nutrition;
13. Examination;
14. Assessment and diagnostic procedures to
include physical, orthopedic, neurological procedures;
15. Radiographic technique;
16. Diagnostic imaging and
interpretation;
17. Laser as
permitted by law;
18. Clinical
laboratory procedures limited to urine collection, fingerpicks and venipuncture
(not to be confused with evaluation of lab reports);
19. Anatomy;
20. Physiology;
21. Bacteriology;
22. Chiropractic orthopedics and
neurology;
23. Chemistry;
24. Pathology;
25. Patient management;
26. Evidence-based clinical interventions
models;
27.
Symptomatology;
28. Arizona
jurisprudence;
29.
Participation in National Board of Chiropractic
Examiners examination development or administration of
examinations.
29.
Billing & Coding;
30.
Recognition of substance abuse in a patient and Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration Topics; and
31. Participation in National Board of
Chiropractic Examiners examination development or administration of
examinations.
K. In
addition to the subjects in subsections (A), (C), (D) and (J), courses for the
purpose of recognizing, assessing and determining appropriate referral or
collaborative treatment of complex conditions, including but not limited to
cancer, autism, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and developmental disorders, for
the purpose of co-management of the patient's condition with qualified medical
providers shall qualify for continuing education credit.
L. The following subjects shall not qualify
for continuing education for the purpose of license renewal and shall not be
approved by the Board:
21. Malpractice defense;
3
2. Practice management;
4
3. Risk
management;
5
4. Promotion of a product or a service or a
requirement that attendees purchase a product or service;
6
5.
Strategies to increase insurance payments;
7
6. Administrative or
economic aspects of a practice;
8
7. Motivational
courses;
9
8. Legal courses other than pre-approved Board
jurisprudence;
10
9. Anti-aging;
1110. Hormone
treatment;
12
11. Aroma therapy;
13
12. Stress
management;
14
13. Psychological treatment;
15
14.
HIPAA;
16
15. Homeopathic practice that exceeds A.R.S. §
32-925;
17
16.
Professional or business meetings, speeches at luncheons, banquets,
etc.;
18
17. Subject matter that exceeds the assessment,
diagnosis and treatment of patients within the scope of practice of
chiropractic as defined in this chapter;
19
18. Any course without a significant relationship to
the safe and effective practice of chiropractic under A.R.S. §
32-925
and A.R.S. §
32-922.02;
20
19.
And any course that involves a distance learning format or materials if the
course has not been pre-approved by the board and issued a board approval
number;
1. Billing,
coding:
M. A licensee's
compliance with subsections (A), and (C), shall include the following
coursework in order to renew a license.
1.
Each licensee shall complete a minimum of two hours of continuing education in
recordkeeping for every even numbered year.
2. Each person who is issued a new license to
practice chiropractic in Arizona on or after January 1, 2013 is required to
attend three hours of a single regularly scheduled Board meeting within the
first year of residence in Arizona. The licensee cannot distribute the three
hours of Board meeting attendance over two or more Board meetings. The licensee
shall notify the Board in writing within ten days of moving to Arizona. The
meeting attendance must be pre-scheduled and pre-approved by Board staff.
Continuing education credit will not be awarded if the licensee is attending
the meeting as a subject of an investigation or other Board review or if the
licensee fails to properly schedule attendance as per this Section. This
subsection does not pertain to any person who has had a license to practice
chiropractic in Arizona issued prior to January 1, 2013.
N. The Board shall grant an extension of 90
days to comply with the continuing education requirements to a qualified
licensee. To qualify for an extension, a licensee shall:
1. Timely file a license renewal application
and renewal fee; and
2. Submit a
written request for an extension no later than December 1 of the current
renewal year, including evidence of good cause why the continuing education
requirements cannot be met by December 31 of the current renewal
year.
O. The following
reasons constitute good cause for the Board to grant an extension of time to
comply with the continuing education requirements:
1. The licensee lived in a country where
there was no accredited chiropractic college, or a college that meets the
requirements of
R4-7-702,
for at least seven months during the year that the continuing education
requirements are to be met;
2. The
licensee was in active military service for at least seven months during the
year that the continuing education requirements are to be met; or
3. The licensee was not able to complete the
continuing education requirements because of a documented disability of the
licensee or the licensee's spouse, child, or parent.
P. If the Board grants an extension of time
to complete the required 12 hours of continuing education requirements, 12
hours of required continuing education credits obtained during the 90-day
extension shall be applied to meet only the requirements for which the
extension is granted. A licensee shall not report those 12 hours of continuing
education credit earned during a 90-day extension for a subsequent renewal
year.
Notes
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.