Mont. Admin. r. 24.126.2103

Current through Register Vol. 23, December 6, 2024

Rule 24.126.2103 - CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

(1) Each active licensee must complete 12 continuing education (CE) hours annually on or before the renewal date, September 1, subject to random audit. The CE requirement does not apply until the licensee's first full year of licensure. Each licensee is responsible to select continuing education in compliance with this rule.

(2) Only two of the 12 hours in (1) may be in the philosophy of chiropractic or practice management.

(3) CE hours do not accumulate or carry over to following years.

(4) The board and department do not preapprove CE programs unless they are provided by one of the following entities:

(a) national, regional, or state chiropractic associations;

(b) state licensing boards;

(c) academies;

(d) approved chiropractic colleges; or

(e) the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) Providers of Approved Continuing Education (PACE).

(5) To be eligible to receive credit for continuing education, including from preapproved programs in (4), a CE program must:

(a) directly relate to the scope of practice and professional conduct of chiropractic defined in Title 37, chapter 12, MCA;

(b) be designed to maintain or increase competent or ethical practice, stay current in the profession, and enhance professional skills; and

(c) contain significant academic or practical content.

(6) CE programs that primarily promote, sell, or offer goods, products, or services to the profession or that primarily focus on personal growth or general well-being do not qualify for credit.

(7) A "CE program" means:

(a) an in-person class, lecture, conference, workshop, or seminar;

(b) virtual conferences or webinars with an opportunity for interactive discussion;

(c) a college or university course other than one required for initial qualification for licensure; and

(d) teaching, self-study, or publication of content that meets the eligibility criteria in (5).

(8) The licensee must maintain and make available for audit, certification of completion of the CE program, including course description, outline, agenda, or syllabi for two years from the date of CE program. Certification must include the following information:

(a) licensee name;

(b) course title and description of content;

(c) full name of the CE program provider;

(d) CE program date or dates; and

(e) number of CE hours earned.

(9) Licensees must affirm their understanding of the CE requirement on their renewal forms.

(10) The department, with respect to CE audits, shall decide the percentage to audit based on a statistically relevant sample of the total number of licensees and the compliance rate of past audits.

(11) The department may grant a request to waive a licensee's CE requirement based on extraordinary circumstances such as medical issues or disability, family or personal emergency, or natural disaster or catastrophic event.

Mont. Admin. r. 24.126.2103

NEW, 2008 MAR p. 1978, Eff. 9/12/08; AMD, 2012 MAR p. 503, Eff. 3/9/12; AMD, 2013 MAR p. 1982, Eff. 11/1/13; AMD, 2016 MAR p. 733, Eff. 4/23/2016; AMD, 2018 MAR p. 645, Eff.3/31/2018; AMD, 2020 MAR p. 1737, Eff. 9/26/2020; AMD, 2024 MAR p. 1462, Eff. 6/22/2024

AUTH: 37-1-131, 37-1-319, MCA; IMP: 37-1-131, 37-1-141, 37-1-306, 37-1-319, 37-1-321, MCA