1. (1) The board shall accept the following in satisfaction of continuing education for each biennium:

   1. (a) Any continuing education program accredited by COPE or Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education. This may include course formats of in person courses, synchronous virtual courses, or asynchronous courses. Synchronous virtual courses shall include a type of attendance monitoring or post-course evaluation. Asynchronous courses shall include a post-course test requiring a minimum score of 70 percent to receive credit.

   2. (b) Any in-person continuing education program relevant to the practice of optometry provided by one of the following organizations:

      1. 1. Wisconsin Optometric Association.
      2. 2. American Optometric Association.
      3. 3. American Academy of Optometry.
      4. 4. Optometric Extension Program Foundation.
      5. 5. Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.
      6. 6. College of Optometrists in Vision Development.
      7. 7. A school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education.

2. (2) The board may approve a continuing education program not accepted under sub. (1). To apply for approval of a continuing education program, a provider shall submit to the board an application on forms provided by the department at least 30 days prior to the program. An application filed under this subsection or s. Opt 8.02 (3e) or (3m) (b) shall include all of the following:

   1. (a) Title of the program.
   2. (b) Date of the program.
   3. (c) General description and timed outline of the program.
   4. (d) Name and qualifications of the instructor.
   5. (e) Sponsoring organization of the program.
   6. (f) Category of the program relevant to the practice of optometry.
   7. (g) Approved number of continuing education program hours requested.
   8. (h) Delivery method of the program, whether in person, synchronous virtual, or asynchronous.
3. (3) The provider of the continuing education program under sub. (1) (b) or (2) agrees to monitor the attendance and furnish a certificate of attendance to each participant. The certificate of attendance shall certify successful completion of the program.

4. (4) In cases of hardship under s. Opt 8.02 (3m), the board may waive any requirement under this section or s. Opt 8.02 (3e) or (3s) as deemed appropriate by the board.

   Note: Application forms for continuing education program approval are available on the department’s website at dsps.wi.gov, or by request from the Department of Safety and Professional Services, P.O. Box 8366, Madison, Wisconsin 53708, or call (608) 266-2112.

History

History: CR 06-116: cr. Register May 2007 No. 617, eff. 6-1-07; CR 18-021: r. and recr. Register August 2019 No. 764, eff. 12-15-19; correction in (1) (b) (intro.) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register August 2019 No. 764; CR 24-080: am. (1) (a), (2) (h), (4) Register September 2025 No. 837, eff. 10-1-25; correction in (1) (a) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register September 2025 No. 837.