The director shall, by regulation, develop guidelines to prescribe components for mandatory continuing education programs administered by any board within the department.
(a) The guidelines shall be developed to ensure that mandatory continuing education is used as a means to create a more competent licensing population, thereby enhancing public protection. The guidelines shall require mandatory continuing education programs to address, at least, the following:
(1) Course validity.
(2) Occupational relevancy.
(3) Effective presentation.
(4) Actual attendance.
(5) Material assimilation.
(6) Potential for application.
(b) The director shall consider educational principles, and the guidelines shall prescribe mandatory continuing education program formats to include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) The specified audience.
(2) Identification of what is to be learned.
(3) Clear goals and objectives.
(4) Relevant learning methods (participatory, hands-on, or clinical setting).
(5) Evaluation, focused on the learner and the assessment of the intended learning outcomes (goals and objectives).
(c) Any board within the department that, after January 1, 1993, proposes a mandatory continuing education program for its licensees shall submit the proposed program to the director for review to assure that the program contains all the elements set forth in this section and complies with the guidelines developed by the director.
(d) Any board administering a mandatory continuing education program that proposes to amend its current program shall do so in a manner consistent with this section.
(e) Any board currently administering a mandatory continuing education program shall review the components and requirements of the program to determine the extent to which they are consistent with the guidelines developed under this section. The board shall submit a report of their findings to the director. The report shall identify the similarities and differences of its mandatory continuing education program. The report shall include any board-specific needs to explain the variation from the director’s guidelines.
(f) Any board administering a mandatory continuing education program, when accepting hours for credit which are obtained out of state, shall ensure that the course for which credit is given is administered in accordance with the guidelines addressed in subdivision (a).
(g) Nothing in this section or in the guidelines adopted by the director shall be construed to repeal any requirements for continuing education programs set forth in any other provision of this code.
(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 146, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1995.)