21 NCAC 01 .0301. STANDARDS FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

(a)  Applicants for license renewal shall complete 40 Continuing Education Units (CEU) every two years.  One CEU is defined as one contact hour or 50 minutes.

(b)  All CEUs shall be completed during the two calendar years immediately preceding the:

(1)           License renewal date, or

(2)           Date on which the license renewal is approved by the Board.

(c)  The following requirements shall apply to the total number of CEUs submitted by a licensee for license renewal:

(1)           A minimum of 25 CEUs must be obtained from formally organized courses which have content relating to the scope of practice of acupuncture as defined by G.S. 90-451(3). Each course shall be sponsored or approved by one or more of the following organizations or their successor organizations:

(A)          National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance (NAOMA);

(B)          Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAOM);

(C)          Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM);

(D)          Acupuncture Schools Accredited By or in Candidacy Status with the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM);

(E)           National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM);

(F)           National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NAAOM);

(G)          Society for Acupuncture Research;

(H)          National Acupuncture Detoxification Association;

(I)            American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA);

(J)            The acupuncture licensing board of another State;

(K)          North Carolina Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCAAOM);

(L)           American Heart Association; or

(M)         American Red Cross.

(2)           A maximum of 15 CEUs may be obtained from teaching acupuncture diagnosis and treatment.  All CEUs for teaching shall be approved by the Board prior to the date of the class and awarded for actual classroom hours taught pursuant to this Rule.  For approval the licensee shall submit the following information:

(A)          Title of the course;

(B)          Summary of course content or class syllabus;

(C)          Location of the class;

(D)          Dates of the class;

(E)           Number of classroom hours taught; and

(F)           Copy of course evaluation to be provided students.

(d)  A course submitted to the Board for credit as CEUs shall be formally organized.  A formally organized course shall consist of the following:

(1)           A record of attendance maintained on file by the sponsor of the course.  This record shall be made available to the Board upon request;

(2)           For a course taught by an instructor who is required by the State to hold a credential to practice in the field which is the subject of the course, the credential of that instructor shall be in good standing and any instructor shall be competent to teach his or her designated course by virtue of his or her education, training, and experience;

(3)           The course shall have stated course objectives and a course syllabus or a description of the content of the course with a class outline;

(4)           The course shall be evaluated by each participant; and

(5)           Upon completion of each course the provider shall issue a certificate of completion to each participant to include:

(A)          Title of the course;

(B)          Name of participant;

(C)          Name of all instructors;

(D)          Name of provider;

(E)           Date and location of the course; and

(F)           Number of CEU's completed.

(e)  CEUs from any given course may be used to satisfy the requirements of only one biennium.

(f)  At the time of license renewal, each licensee shall sign a statement under penalty of perjury indicating the licensee has complied with the continuing education requirements.

(g)  Each licensee shall retain for four years records of all continuing education programs attended, indicating:

(1)           title of the course or program;

(2)           sponsoring organization or individual;

(3)           accrediting organization; and

(4)           course hours in attendance.

(h)  The Board may audit the records of any licensee.  No licensee shall be subject to audit more than once every two years.  Those licensees selected for audit shall be required to document their compliance with the continuing education requirements of this article.

(i)  Failure to comply with the continuing education requirements shall prohibit license renewal and result in the license reverting to an expired status at the end of the renewal period.

(j)  It shall constitute unprofessional conduct for a licensee to misrepresent completion of required CEUs.  In the event of misrepresentation, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated by the Board.

(k)  A maximum of 20 CEUs may be obtained for correspondence or on-line courses.

(l)  All applications for pre-approval must be submitted 60 days prior to the date of the course.

(m)  A licensee may apply to the Board for an extension of time as set out in G.S. 90-457.1.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90-454; 90-457.1;

Eff. July 1, 1995;

Temporary Amendment Eff. January 26, 1996;

Temporary Amendment Expired November 11, 1996;

Amended Eff. August 1, 2007; August 1, 2002.