Chapter 420-9 CONTINUING EDUCATION
| (1) |
Continuing Education courses totaling at
least ten (10) hours shall be required for the biennial renewal of licenses. Of
the ten (10) hours, a minimum of two (2) hours shall be in the area of contact
lenses. Effective 04-01-2017, of the ten (10) hours, one hour must
be on Georgia Opticianry Laws and Rules. Effective 04-01-2017, of
the ten (10) hours, six (6) hours must be technically approved hours (which may
be either spectacles or contact lenses). Of the ten (10) hours, no more than
five (5) hours may be obtained via the internet. Effective
04-01-2017, of the ten (10) continuing education hours for
renewal, no hours may be obtained or will be accepted for renewal via the
internet or home study except for those provided by the Opticians Association
of America, the National Academy of Opticianry or the Opticians Association of
Georgia. No more than eight (8) hours of continuing education may be obtained
in one twenty-four hour day. |
| (2) |
With his/her application for license renewal, each licensed dispensing optician
must submit an affidavit of course hours completed as proof that his/her
education requirements have been satisfied. |
| (3) |
No duplicate courses will be accepted
during the same renewal period. No courses under the same title, by the same
instructor, will be accepted for renewal purposes. |
An optician licensed by examination during the first six months
of the renewal period shall be required to obtain the full ten (10) hours of
continuing education; if licensed during the following twelve months he/she
shall be required to obtain five (5) hours of continuing education; if licensed
during the last six months of the renewal period, he/she shall be exempt from
the continuing education requirements for that renewal period only. The full
requirement of ten (10) hours must be fulfilled each renewal period
thereafter.
| (1) |
The Board shall give credit for any
course given by any recognized national, regional or state dispensing society
or association if such courses are made available to all licensed opticians on
a reasonably nondiscriminatory fee basis.
| (a) |
Some examples, non-inclusive, of such recognized national or regional
dispensing society or association are:
* Opticians Association of America (OAA)
*National Academy of Opticianry (NAO)
* South Eastern Opticians Conference (SEOC)
|
| (b) |
Some examples, non-inclusive, of such
recognized state dispensing society or association are:
* Opticians Association of Georgia (OAG)
* Professional Opticians of Florida (POF)
* North Carolina Opticians Association (NCOA)
* Tennessee Dispensing Opticians Association (TDOA)
* South Carolina Association of Opticians (SCAO)
|
|
| (2) |
Any group of ten or
more licensed opticians may arrange for an education program and they must
request prior Board approval. |
| (3) |
Any program other than those sponsored by a national, regional or state society
or association must submit said program approval by the Board ninety (90) days
prior to the program date. The request shall include the following documents or
information:
| (b) |
Copy of proposed promotional material
showing the name and date of the program; |
| (c) |
Location and time of program; |
| (d) |
Names of instructors and
vitaes; |
| (e) |
Number of credit hours
applied for; |
| (f) |
Method of
notifying attendees; and |
| (g) |
Copy
of attendance certificates to be used. |
|
| (4) |
The certificate of attendance shall not
be issue d until the program is completed and the method of monitoring must be
reported to the Board prior to the program date. |
| (5) |
Credit will be allowed on the basis of an
hour for an hour. To receive one hour credit, an optician must attend a class
for one full hour. However, the Georgia Board will accept no more than eight
(8) hours of continuing education obtained in one twenty-four (24) hour
day. |
| (6) |
Post-approval of
continuing education courses will not be granted. |
