24.121.2101    CONTINUING EDUCATION – INSTRUCTORS

(1) Instructors are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education (CE) per renewal period to maintain active status licensure. Eight of the 30 hours must be in teaching methodology pursuant to ARM 24.121.1105. 

(2) Licensees shall affirm an understanding of their recurring duty to comply with CE requirements as a part of license renewal.

(3) CE requirements will not apply until after the licensee's first renewal.

(4)  Licensees are responsible for selecting quality programs that focus on protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public and contribute to licensees' professional knowledge and competence.  Acceptable CE activities:

(a)  directly relate to the licensee's scope of practice as defined in board statute or rule;

(b)  review existing concepts and techniques;

(c)  convey information beyond the basic professional education;

(d)  update knowledge on the practice and advances in the profession; or

(e)  reinforce professional conduct or ethical obligations of the licensee.

(5)  CE hours will not be granted to a licensee teaching a course.

(6)  Board meetings are approved as CE.

(a)  A licensee must attend at least half of a meeting to obtain credit.

(b)  A board meeting is worth two hours of CE credit.

(7)  The department may randomly audit up to 50 percent of renewed licensees.

(8)  Licensees must maintain documentation of completed CE for three years and provide documentation to the board upon request.  Documentation must include the following information:

(a)  licensee name;

(b)  course title and description of content;

(c)  presenter or sponsor;

(d)  course date(s); and

(e)  number of CE hours earned.

(9)  Licensees found to be in noncompliance with CE requirements may be subject to administrative suspension.  Licensees may not apply CE hours used to complete delinquent CE requirements for the next education reporting period.

(10)  Any CE hours required by disciplinary order do not apply toward the 30 hours that are required per renewal period under this rule.

History: 37-1-131, 37-1-319, MCA; IMP, 37-1-141, 37-1-306, 37-1-319, 37-1-321, MCA; NEW, 2004 MAR p. 2813, Eff. 11/19/04; AMD, 2006 MAR p. 1383, Eff. 6/2/06; AMD, 2006 MAR p. 1583, Eff. 7/1/06; AMD, 2010 MAR p. 2378, Eff. 10/15/10; AMD, 2012 MAR p. 616, Eff. 3/23/12; AMD, 2015 MAR p. 1198, Eff. 8/14/15; AMD, 2021 MAR p. 1773, Eff. 12/11/21.