24 Del. Admin. Code § 500-6.0
Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 5, November 1, 2024
Section 500-6.0 - Continuing Education6.1 "Continuing medical education (CME)," as that term is herein applied by the Board, includes any and all continuing education requirements, as herein below provided, which must be satisfied biennially by all licensed practitioners as a condition for licensure renewal. Each licensed practitioner shall complete, on or before June 30 of even numbered years at least 32 hours of continuing education as a condition of license renewal.6.2 Each practitioner shall be exempt from the continuing education requirement in the first biennial licensing period, or any portion thereof, in which he is licensed to practice in Delaware. During the renewal process, a practitioner shall attest to his satisfactory completion of the continuing education requirements for the previous two (2) years. Attestation may be completed electronically if the renewal is accomplished online. In the alternative, paper renewal documents that contain the attestation of completion may be submitted. Each licensee must maintain a Podiatry CME log, on a form to be supplied by the Board, indicating the date, title, sponsor, and number of hours the licensee attended, for each continuing education program submitted for credit. Random audits will be performed by the Board to ensure compliance with the continuing education requirement. Licensees selected for the random audit shall submit validated documents which evidence satisfactory completion of the continuing education requirements for the previous two (2) years. The Board reserves the right to request additional documentation, such as copies of program materials, to verify CME compliance in the course of a random audit.6.3 Only approved courses will be counted toward the 32 hour biennial continuing education requirement. A practitioner may gain approval of any course or program by written application to the Board, stating the title, sponsor and summary of course content. The Board may act upon all such requests at the next regularly scheduled meeting, may act upon such requests at any intervening special meeting convened to consider other issues, or may delegate to any member of the Board the authority to approve continuing education courses on behalf of the Board. Any practitioner who attends and/or completes a course which has not yet been approved by the Board does so at his own risk that the Board may not approve the said course nor allow it to be counted toward completion of the annual requirement of 32 hours of continuing education.6.4 Content. The overriding consideration in determining if a specific program qualifies for continuing education is that it be a formal program of learning which contributes directly to the professional competence of the licensee. No credit shall be given for business or practice seminars. 6.4.1 Computer, television or video based courses and other independent study courses may be submitted to the Board for approval, however no such course will be approved for credit unless it includes successful completion of a final examination or paper.6.4.2 The following programs will be deemed to qualify for continuing education without prior Board approval: 6.4.2.1 Any program approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), and approved affiliates.6.4.2.2 Any seminar sponsored by the Delaware Podiatric Medical Association (DMPA).6.4.2.3 Any podiatric program sponsored by a hospital or clinic as part of a CPME approved residency program.6.5 Hardship. The Board has the authority to make exceptions to the continuing education requirements upon written request of the licensee and a showing of good cause. "Good cause" may include, but is not limited to, disability, illness, military service, foreign residency, and retirement. Upon application, the Board shall set the time in which the licensee must complete the continuing education requirement. No extension shall be granted for more than 120 days after the end of the licensing period.6.6 Self-directed activity 6.6.1 The Board may, upon request, review and approve credit for self-directed activities, including research, preparation and/or presentation of professional papers and articles, to a maximum of eight (8) hours per biennial licensing period. A licensee must obtain pre-approval of the Board prior to undertaking the self-directed activity in order to assure continuing education credit for the activity. Any self-directed activity submitted for approval must include a written proposal outlining the scope of the activity, the number of continuing education hours requested, the anticipated completion date(s), the role of the licensee in the case of multiple participants (e.g. research) and whether any part of the self-directed activity has ever been previously approved or submitted for credit by the same licensee.6.6.2 The Board may award up to a maximum of eight (8) continuing education hours for the first-time preparation and presentation of an approved podiatric clinical course, in-service training, workshop, or seminar. A copy of the course syllabus and verification that the course was presented is required for Board approval.24 Del. Admin. Code § 500-6.0
10 DE Reg. 1153 (01/01/07)
16 DE Reg. 1195 (5/1/2013) (Final)