Section 64B12-15.001 - Continuing Education for License Renewal(1) All licensed opticians shall be required to obtain continuing education from courses offered by providers approved in accordance with this rule chapter prior to biennial license renewal.(2) Within each license renewal biennium, each licensed optician shall complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing professional education, according to the criteria specified in these rules. A maximum of 5 hours of continuing professional education may be earned from courses without classroom instruction.(3) An optician initially licensed in the first year of the biennium shall, for the first renewal, be required to complete only one-half the number of hours of continuing education as are required in Rule 64B12-15.003, F.A.C., of which a maximum of 3 hours may be earned from courses without classroom instruction, and completion of a 2-hour medical errors course as required in section 456.013(7), F.S.(4) An optician initially licensed during the second year of the biennium shall not be required to complete continuing education for the first license renewal, except the completion of a 2-hour medical errors course as required in section 456.013(7), F.S.(5) Credit hours for continuing professional education must be earned during the biennium for which they are submitted for credit.(6) Licensed opticians who serve as full-time instructors of opticianry at an educational institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized and approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council on Postsecondary Education shall not be required to complete continuing education courses for license renewal, so long as they were so employed in that capacity for the duration of the biennium.(7) At the time of license renewal, the licensee shall submit a renewal request to the Department using the on-line service portal, found at https://mqaonline.doh.state.fl.us/datamart/voserviceportal/, and the renewal fee prescribed by Rule 64B12-11.003, F.A.C. In order to receive continuing professional education credit for video cassette courses taken by the licensee, a video cassette course validation form signed by the vendor and licensee shall be submitted to the Department along with the license renewal application.(8) For the biennium ending December 31, 2020 the restriction on permitting a maximum of 5 hours of continuing professional education, which may be earned from courses without classroom instruction, shall not be effective. All required continuing education hours may be earned by courses without classroom instruction.Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 64B12-15.001
Rulemaking Authority 456.013(7), (8), (9), 484.005, 484.008(3) FS. Law Implemented 456.013(8), (9), 484.008(3) FS.
New 10-12-80, Amended 6-30-82, 12-5-82, 9-5-83, 8-30-84, Formerly 21P-15.01, Amended 3-5-87, 9-17-87, 3-30-89, 12-23-90, 6-11-92, 2-18-93, 5-19-93, Formerly 21P-15.001, Amended 4-17-94, Formerly 61G 13-15.001, Amended 8-8-94, 3-14-95, 4-18-96, Formerly 59U-15.001, Amended 8-6-97, 4-20-99, 7-27-08, Amended by Florida Register Volume 41, Number 052, March 17, 2015 effective 3/29/2015, Amended by Florida Register Volume 44, Number 050, March 13, 2018 effective 3/26/2018, Amended by Florida Register Volume 46, Number 237, December 8, 2020 effective 12/21/2020, Amended by Florida Register Volume 49, Number 234, December 5, 2023 effective 12/18/2023.New 10-12-80, Amended 6-30-82, 12-5-82, 9-5-83, 8-30-84, Formerly 21P-15.01, Amended 3-5-87, 9-17-87, 3-30-89, 12-23-90, 6-11-92, 2-18-93, 5-19-93, Formerly 21P-15.001, Amended 4-17-94, Formerly 61G13-15.001, Amended 8-8-94, 3-14-95, 4-18-96, Formerly 59U-15.001, Amended 8-6-97, 4-20-99, 7-27-08, 3-29-15, 3-26-18, 12-21-20, 12-18-23.