(1) All licensed opticians shall be required
to obtain continuing education from courses offered by providers approved in
accordance with this rule chapter prior to biennial license renewal.
(2) Within each license renewal biennium,
each licensed optician shall complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing
professional education, according to the criteria specified in these rules. A
maximum of 5 hours of continuing professional education may be earned from
courses without classroom instruction.
(3) An optician initially licensed in the
first year of the biennium shall, for the first renewal, be required to
complete only one-half the number of hours of continuing education as are
required in Rule
64B12-15.003, F.A.C., of which a
maximum of 3 hours may be earned from courses without classroom instruction,
and completion of a 2-hour medical errors course as required in section
456.013(7),
F.S.
(4) An optician initially
licensed during the second year of the biennium shall not be required to
complete continuing education for the first license renewal, except the
completion of a 2-hour medical errors course as required in section
456.013(7),
F.S.
(5) Credit hours for
continuing professional education must be earned during the biennium for which
they are submitted for credit.
(6)
Licensed opticians who serve as full-time instructors of opticianry at an
educational institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized and
approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council on
Postsecondary Education shall not be required to complete continuing education
courses for license renewal, so long as they were so employed in that capacity
for the duration of the biennium.
(7) At the time of license renewal, the
licensee shall submit a renewal request to the Department using the on-line
service portal, found at
https://mqaonline.doh.state.fl.us/datamart/voserviceportal/,
and the renewal fee prescribed by Rule
64B12-11.003, F.A.C. In order to
receive continuing professional education credit for video cassette courses
taken by the licensee, a video cassette course validation form signed by the
vendor and licensee shall be submitted to the Department along with the license
renewal application.
(8) For the
biennium ending December 31, 2020 the restriction on permitting a maximum of 5
hours of continuing professional education, which may be earned from courses
without classroom instruction, shall not be effective. All required continuing
education hours may be earned by courses without classroom
instruction.
Notes
Fla. Admin.
Code Ann. R. 64B12-15.001
Rulemaking Authority
456.013(7), (8),
(9),
484.005,
484.008(3) FS.
Law Implemented 456.013(8),
(9),
484.008(3)
FS.
New 10-12-80, Amended
6-30-82, 12-5-82, 9-5-83, 8-30-84, Formerly 21P-15.01, Amended 3-5-87, 9-17-87,
3-30-89, 12-23-90, 6-11-92, 2-18-93, 5-19-93, Formerly 21P-15.001, Amended
4-17-94, Formerly 61G 13-15.001, Amended 8-8-94, 3-14-95, 4-18-96, Formerly
59U-15.001, Amended 8-6-97, 4-20-99, 7-27-08, Amended by
Florida
Register Volume 41, Number 052, March 17, 2015 effective
3/29/2015, Amended by
Florida
Register Volume 44, Number 050, March 13, 2018 effective
3/26/2018, Amended
by
Florida
Register Volume 46, Number 237, December 8, 2020 effective
12/21/2020,
Amended by
Florida
Register Volume 49, Number 234, December 5, 2023 effective
12/18/2023.
New 10-12-80, Amended 6-30-82, 12-5-82, 9-5-83, 8-30-84,
Formerly 21P-15.01, Amended 3-5-87, 9-17-87, 3-30-89, 12-23-90, 6-11-92,
2-18-93, 5-19-93, Formerly 21P-15.001, Amended 4-17-94, Formerly 61G13-15.001,
Amended 8-8-94, 3-14-95, 4-18-96, Formerly 59U-15.001, Amended 8-6-97, 4-20-99,
7-27-08, 3-29-15, 3-26-18, 12-21-20,
12-18-23.
