24.168.2101    CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS – AUDIT

(1) Licensed optometrists shall complete 36 hours of approved continuing education (CE) every two years:

(a) Up to 12 hours of asynchronous approved CE courses may be counted toward the CE requirement.

(b) Up to 4 hours of practice management approved CE may be counted toward the CE requirement.

(c) The board does not limit or restrict online approved synchronous CE courses.

(2) The following are exceptions to CE requirements: 

(a) A person who graduates from an accredited school of optometry and becomes a licensee within one year of graduation is excused from the CE requirement during the first applicable CE cycle.

(b) A licensee who is enrolled in a residency program accredited by the ACOE is excused from the CE requirement while the licensee is in the residency program and during the first applicable CE cycle.

(3) The department is authorized to audit CE requirements and shall determine the percentage to audit based on a statistically relevant sampling of the total number of licensees and the compliance rate of past audits.  Audits will be conducted in odd-numbered years.

 

History: 37-1-131, 37-1-319, MCA; IMP, 37-1-131, 37-1-141, 37-1-306, 37-1-319, 37-1-321, MCA; Eff. 12/31/72; AMD, Eff. 8/4/74; AMD, 1979 MAR p. 738, Eff. 7/13/79; TRANS, from Dept. of Prof. & Occup. Lic., Ch. 274, L. 1981, Eff. 7/1/81; AMD, 1982 MAR p. 1390, Eff. 7/16/82; AMD, 1986 MAR p. 1582, Eff. 9/26/86; AMD, 1990 MAR p. 2176, Eff. 12/14/90; AMD, 1997 MAR p. 305, Eff. 2/11/97; AMD, 1999 MAR p. 511, Eff. 3/26/99; AMD, 2002 MAR p. 1550, Eff. 5/31/02; TRANS, from Commerce, 2003 MAR p. 2083; AMD, 2006 MAR p. 1583, Eff. 7/1/06; AMD, 2007 MAR p. 296, Eff. 3/9/07; AMD, 2010 MAR p. 1405, Eff. 6/11/10; AMD, 2017 MAR p. 788, Eff. 6/10/17; AMD, 2020 MAR p. 901, Eff. 5/16/20; AMD, 2023 MAR p. 1621, Eff. 11/18/23.