Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 64B18-17.001 - Continuing Education Required for License Renewal
(1) All actively licensed podiatric
physicians shall obtain continuing education that contributes to the reduction
of risk in the practice of podiatric medicine and the advancement, extension or
enhancement of professional skill and knowledge in the field of podiatric
medicine and the licensee's understanding of the regulatory law and rules which
govern the practice of podiatric medicine. The continuing education that
contributes to the advancement, extension or enhancement of professional skill
and knowledge in the field of podiatric medicine, shall focus on subjects that
are primarily scientific in nature and of significant benefit to the podiatric
physician on a post-graduate level. No commercial laboratories will be approved
for continuing education credit because those laboratories are designed
primarily to demonstrate equipment and procedures for the purpose of making a
sale.
(2) All licensees who seek to
renew the active status of their licensure must demonstrate that they have
completed, during the previous two years, at least forty (40) hours of
continuing education.
(a) Within each license
renewal biennium, a licensed podiatric physician shall complete a minimum of 32
hours via live in-person, or live interactive virtual events of professional
continuing education, according to the criteria set forth in these rules. A
maximum of 8 hours of continuing professional education may be earned from
courses involving home study or anytime courses.
(b) At least one (1) of the forty (40) hours
must concern the topic of risk management.
(c) At least one (1) of the forty (40) hours
must be on the subject of laws and rules to bring the licensee up to date on
laws and rules of the Board and the regulatory agency under which the Board
operates.
(d) At least one 2-hour
course must be on the subject of prevention of medical errors pursuant to
section 456.013(7),
F.S.
(e) At least two (2) of the
forty (40) hours must be on the safe and effective prescribing of controlled
substances, as required by section
461.007, F.S.
(f) For active licensees in good standing, up
to ten (10) hours of pro bono service may be counted toward the required
continuing education for the biennium in which the service was provided. Pro
bono service, however, must be performed under the auspices of a nonprofit
agency or in clinics serving the indigent or otherwise underserved populations
in areas of critical need within the state. Proof of such service on the
agency's or clinic's letterhead and signed by the director of the agency or
clinic must be provided upon audit of the licensee's continuing education
credit hours.
(g) Licensees may
complete up to three hours of continuing education per biennium in the area of
practice management. Providership of any such hours must be approved in advance
by the Continuing Education Committee. Such approval shall be granted pursuant
to the requirements of Rule
64B18-17.002, F.A.C. Practice
management is defined as the development or mechanics of establishing and
managing an office, including enhancement of patient care, insurance issues,
and working with managed care programs. It does not include methods of
increasing business profits, marketing of podiatric services, investments, or
financial management.
(h) Licensees
may complete one board-approved continuing education course in the area of
anti-discriminatory practice per biennium, not to exceed 2 credit
hours.
(i) Active board members,
for each full or partial biennium served on the Board, or former Board members
participating in annual service on a Probable Cause Panel, shall receive
thirteen hours of continuing education credit per biennium that may be used to
satisfy the required hours for laws and rules, risk management, prevention of
medical errors or other general continuing education requirements.
(j) All 40 hours may be earned through live
in-person or live interactive virtual events as defined in paragraph
64B18-17.002(8)(b),
F.A.C., but a maximum of only eight (8) hours may be obtained through home
study or anytime courses as defined in paragraph
64B18-17.002(8)(a),
F.A.C.
(3)
(a) For the purpose of this rule, risk
management is defined as the identification, investigation, analysis, and
evaluation of risks, and the selection of the most advantageous method of
correcting, reducing or eliminating identifiable risks.
(b) The continuing education requirement in
risk management may be obtained by complying with paragraphs 1.-3., below, upon
attendance of one (1) day of a regularly scheduled Board meeting which includes
disciplinary proceedings:
1. The licensee
must sign in with the Executive Director of the Board before the meeting
begins.
2. The licensee must remain
in continuous attendance.
3. The
licensee must sign out with the Executive Director of the Board at the end of
the meeting day.
(4) A licensed podiatric physician may only
receive up to 8 hours of professional continuing education from courses
involving home study or anytime courses taken during the biennium. For the
2020-2022 biennial renewal period, there shall be no cap on the number of
credit hours that a licensed podiatric physician may receive for continuing
education hours obtained through home study continuing education
programs.
(5) Any volunteer expert
witness who is providing expert witness opinions for cases being reviewed
pursuant to Chapter 461, F.S., shall receive five (5) hours of credit in the
area of risk management for each case reviewed up to a maximum of ten (10)
hours per biennium. In this regard, volunteer expert witnesses are encouraged
to perform a review of podiatric, medical, legal, and/or ethical literature, as
appropriate to the case being reviewed.
(6) Continuing education earned for the
purpose of renewing a delinquent license or reactivating an inactive license to
active status may not be applied to the continuing education requirement for
the next biennial renewal date.
(7)
If the licensee has not actively practiced podiatric medicine for at least 2
years of the immediately preceding 4 years, the board shall require the
licensee to successfully complete a board-approved course prior to renewal of
the license. For a licensee to have "actively practiced podiatric medicine" as
defined in section 461.007, F.S., the annual
practice, teaching, or administration of podiatric medicine must minimally
constitute an average of 20 hours per week.
(8) By January 1, 2021, each licensee or
certificate holder shall complete a 1-hour board-approved continuing education
course on human trafficking. The course must address both sex trafficking and
labor trafficking, how to identify individuals who may be victims of human
trafficking, how to report cases of human trafficking, and resources available
to victims. The one-time human trafficking course shall apply to the regular
40-hour biennial renewal requirement for all licensees and is required of new
applicants in their first renewal biennium as well as of licensees renewing to
active status if the course has not already been taken.
(9) Licensees must retain proof of attendance
at continuing education programs for two years subsequent to the expiration of
the biennial period for which the programs are claimed. Proof of attendance
must be documented by a record of registration or certification of attendance
issued by the program which states the number of credit hours received. An
acceptable record of registration at a program is a receipt for the program, a
copy of an embossed badge identifying the name, date and location of the
program, or a copy of the front and back of the canceled check used by the
licensee to pay for the program.
(10) Certified podiatric x-ray assistants
must complete a 6-hour board-approved recertification course which includes an
examination as set forth in section
461.0135, F.S., prior to renewal
of certification. Certified podiatric x-ray assistants shall also complete a
(2) hour course on the subject of prevention of medical errors pursuant to
section 456.013(7),
F.S.
(11) Licensees must submit
verification of attendance at any required continuing education course(s) to
the Board or the Department within thirty (30) days of a request for such
documentation.
(12) No later than
upon first renewal, all licensees must demonstrate completion of a continuing
education course approved by the Board on the topic of
HIV/AIDS.
Notes
Rulemaking Authority 456.013(6), 456.033, 461.005, 461.007(3) FS. Law Implemented 456.013(6), (7), (9), 456.033, 456.0341, 456.036(11), 461.003(5), 461.007(1), (3) FS.
New 11-24-80, Formerly 21T-17.01, Amended 10-14-86, 2-21-88, 5-16-89, Formerly 21T-17.001, Amended 7-6-94, Formerly 61F12-17.001, Amended 1-1-96, 1-2-97, 6-1-97, Formerly 59Z-17.001, Amended 4-25-00, 9-27-01, 11-27-05, 1-29-07, 11-19-12, 8-6-18, 5-14-20, 6-1-21, 11-3-21, 4-19-23, 3-7-24.
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