Rule 420-9-.03. Continuing Education Program Approval

1. (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.

   1. (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)

   2. (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. (2) Any group of ten or more licensed opticians may arrange for an education program and they must request prior Board approval.

3. (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:

   1. (a) Letter of request;
   2. (b) Copy of proposed promotional material showing the name and date of the program;
   3. (c) Location and time of program;
   4. (d) Names of instructors and vitaes;
   5. (e) Number of credit hours applied for;
   6. (f) Method of notifying attendees; and
   7. (g) Copy of attendance certificates to be used.
4. (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. (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. (6) Post-approval of continuing education courses will not be granted.

Authority: O.C.G.A. §§ 43-29-6 and 43-29-11.

History. Original Rule entitled "Continuing Education Program Approval" adopted. F. Mar. 30, 1990; eff. Apr. 19, 1990.

Amended: F. Jan. 20, 2015; eff. Feb. 9, 2015.