Kan. Admin. Regs. § 65-5-6 - Continuing education

(a) Each licensed optometrist shall earn 24 hours of documented and approved continuing education during each year of the license renewal period.

(b) No more than 12 hours of the 24 annually required hours of documented and approved continuing education may be obtained through courses that do not include a live presentation. No more than four of the 24 annually required hours of documented and approved continuing education may be obtained through observing ophthalmic surgery, which shall not be considered as a live presentation. No more than four of the 24 annually required hours of documented and approved continuing education may be in the subject area of practice management. For the purpose of this regulation, the term "live presentation" shall mean a continuing education program offered at a set time during which the licensed optometrist is physically present in the same room as the moderator or presenter to comment and ask questions in real time. Courses including those presented through the internet, by correspondence, in journals or other publications, and by presentation that is remote or prerecorded, shall be subject to the limitations specified in this subsection.

(c) The following educational programs may be used to meet the annual educational requirement:

(1) Educational meetings of the American optometric association;

(2) educational meetings of the state optometric associations;

(3) scientific sections of the American academy of optometry;

(4) postgraduate courses offered at any accredited school or college of optometry; and

(5) other educational programs approved by the board.

(d) Each educational program required to obtain approval from the board in accordance with (c)(5) above shall submit a copy of the continuing education program, schedule, or outline to the secretary-treasurer or their designee at least 30 days before the date of the program. A comprehensive program package outlining the following must be submitted for non-COPE (council on optometric practitioner education) approved courses:

(1) Course outline with 1.5 to 2 pages per hour of presentation;

(2) instructors;

(3) dates;

(4) times;

(5) location;

(6) course description; and

(7) curriculum vitae or biographical sketches of instructors.

(e) Each licensee shall submit a certificate of attendance of all continuing education courses to the association of the regulatory boards of optometry (ARBO OE tracker) before submitting licensee's application for renewal to the Board.

(f) The board reserves the right to waive the requirements of subsection (b) for good cause demonstrated by the licensee.

Notes

Kan. Admin. Regs. § 65-5-6

Authorized by K.S.A. 74-1504(a)(6); implementing K.S.A. 65-1509a; effective May 18, 1992; amended March 7, 1997; amended June 9, 2000; amended Oct. 3, 2003; amended June 5, 2015; amended by Kansas Register Volume 43, No. 33; effective 8/30/2024.