1. A. The Board shall approve and credit training that meets the requirements of this regulation.
2. B. Approved training shall be designed to improve, advance, or extend professional skill and knowledge relating to the practice of an environmental health specialist.

3. C. Approved training may consist of participation in any of the following:

   1. (1) College-level or post-graduate course work given by an accredited educational institution;
   2. (2) Courses, seminars, workshops, or lectures;
   3. (3) Extension studies, on-line courses, and correspondence courses, if there is satisfactory proof of completion, acceptable to the Board;
   4. (4) In-service training, if there is satisfactory proof of completion;
   5. (5) Authoring a paper published in a professional journal requiring peer review;
   6. (6) Instruction of approved training courses; or

   7. (7) For licensees applying for renewal for the first time:

      1. (a) On-the-job training in an environmental health specialist-in-training program under the supervision of an environmental health sponsor; or
      2. (b) Practice as an environmental health specialist or its equivalent in another state or territory of the United States, as approved by the Board.

4. D. Determination of Hours of Approved Training. The Board shall determine the hours of approved training as follows:

   1. (1) For courses for which continuing education units (CEUs) have been assigned, 1 CEU is equivalent to 10 clock or classroom hours of approved training;
   2. (2) For courses given in educational institutions, 1 hour of classroom training is equivalent to 1 hour of approved training;
   3. (3) For training such as online courses, correspondence courses, extension studies, authored papers, and any other approved training, the Board shall determine the hours of approved training on a case-by-case basis;

   4. (4) For instruction of an approved training course, the Board shall grant:

      1. (a) 1 hour of training for 1 hour of instruction;
      2. (b) Up to 10 hours of training per license renewal period; and
      3. (c) Hours as an instructor only once per license renewal period for each training course; and
   5. (5) For licensees applying for renewal for the first time, the Board shall grant 5 hours of approved training for each full 6-month period that the licensee participated in training or work experience listed in §C(7) of this regulation within the license renewal period.

5. E. Assignment of Hours of Approved Training.

   1. (1) The Board shall assign hours of approved training to a license renewal if the licensee completed the hours of training during the license renewal period, unless an extension has been granted pursuant to Regulation .04 of this chapter.

   2. (2) For licensees applying for renewal for the first time, the Board shall assign hours of approved training to the license renewal if the licensee completed training set forth under:

      1. (a) §C(1)—(6) of this regulation after the date the initial license is issued; or
      2. (b) §C(7) of this regulation during the license renewal period.
   3. (3) Within the license renewal period, credit may not be received for training that is substantially similar to another training as determined by the Board.

6. F. Procedures.

   1. (1) The sponsor of a training course or licensee may request of the Board approval of training on a form provided by the Board.
   2. (2) The Board shall maintain a list of all approved providers.

Authority: Health Occupations Article, §§21-101—21-502, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date:

Regulations .01 and.02 adopted as an emergency provision effective January 3, 2013 (40:6 Md. R. 469); adopted permanently effective April 15, 2013 (40:7 Md. R. 612)

Regulation .01 amended effective June 28, 2021 (48:13 Md. R. 508); May 1, 2023 (50:8 Md. R. 338)

Regulation .01C, E amended effective November 9, 2015 (42:22 Md. R. 1379); April 23, 2018 (45:8 Md. R. 422)

Regulation .02B amended effective November 9, 2015 (42:22 Md. R. 1379); June 28, 2021 (48:13 Md. R. 508)

Regulation .03 adopted effective March 13, 2017 (44:5 Md. R. 294)

Regulation .03A amended effective June 28, 2021 (48:13 Md. R. 508)

Regulation .04 adopted effective April 23, 2018 (45:8 Md. R. 422)

Chapter revised as an emergency provision effective January 9, 2024 (51:3 Md. R. 153); emergency status expired July 7, 2024; chapter revised permanently effective August 5, 2024 (51:15 Md. R. 710)