Section 0470-01-.05 - PROCEDURES FOR LICENSURETo become licensed as a dietitian/nutritionist in Tennessee, a person must comply with the following procedures and requirements:
(1) An application packet shall be requested from the board's administrative office.(2) An applicant shall respond truthfully and completely to every question or request for information contained in the application form and submit it along with all documentation and fees required by the form and these rules to the board's administrative office. It is the intent of this rule that all steps necessary to accomplish the filing of the required documentation be completed prior to filing an application and that all documentation be filed simultaneously.(3) Applications will be accepted throughout the year and files which are completed on or before the 30th day prior to a board meeting will ordinarily be processed at the next board meeting scheduled for the purpose of reviewing files. All supporting documents must be received in the board office within 60 days of date of receipt of a notice of deficiency or a request for additional information or the file will be closed and the applicant will have to reapply.(4) An applicant shall submit with his application the required application and state regulatory fee pursuant to Rule 0470-1-06.(5) An applicant shall submit with his application a signed passport photograph taken within the preceding 12 months. (The photograph must be signed by the applicant on the back.)(6) It is the applicant's responsibility to request that a graduate transcript from his degree granting institution, pursuant to T.C.A. § 63-25-108, be submitted directly from the school to the board's administrative office. The institution granting the degree must have been accredited at the time the degree was granted. The transcript must show that the degree has been conferred and carry the official seal of the institution and reference the name under which the applicant has applied for licensure. The educational requirements contained in these rules must be completed prior to the date of application for licensure.(7) An applicant shall submit evidence of good moral character. Such evidence shall include at least one recent (within the preceding 12 months) original letter from a professional attesting to the applicant's personal character and professional ethics on the signator's letterhead.(8) An applicant shall submit verification of having passed the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association's published examination or its successor examination(s) pursuant to rule 0470-1-.08.(9) An applicant shall disclose the circumstances surrounding any of the following: (a) Conviction of any criminal law violation of any country, state, or municipality, except minor traffic violations.(b) The denial of certification or licensure application by any other state or the discipline of certification or licensure in any state.(c) Loss or restriction of certification or licensure.(d) Any civil suit judgment or civil suit settlement in which the applicant was a party defendant including without limitation, actions involving malpractice, breach of contract, antitrust activity, or any other civil action remedy recognized under any country's or state's statutory, common, or case law.(10) An applicant shall cause to be submitted to the Board's administrative office directly from the vendor identified in the Board's licensure application materials, the result of a criminal background check.(11) If an applicant holds or has ever held a certificate or license to practice as a dietitian/nutritionist in any other state, the applicant shall cause to be submitted the equivalent of a Tennessee Certificate of Endorsement from each such licensing board which indicates the applicant holds or held an active certificate or license and whether it is in good standing presently or was at the time it became inactive.(12) When necessary, all required documents shall be translated into English and such translation and original document certified as to authenticity by the issuing source. Both versions must be submitted.(13) Personal resumes are not acceptable and will not be reviewed.(14) Application review and licensure decisions shall be governed by rule 0470-1-.07.(15) The burden is on the applicant to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his course work, supervision, and experience are equivalent to the board's requirements.(16) The initial license fee must be received in the Board's administrative office on or before the 30th day from receipt of notification that the fee is due. Failure to comply will result in the application file being closed.(17) A license will be issued after all requirements, including payment of an initial license fee pursuant to rule 0470-1.06, have been met.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0470-01-.05
Original rule filed December 18, 1995; effective March 1, 1996. Amendment filed September 17, 1998; effective December 1, 1998. Amendment filed September 5, 2002; effective November 19, 2002. Amendment filed March 17, 2006; effective May 31, 2006.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 63-25-107, 63-25-108, 63-25-109, 63-25-110, and 63-25-111.