(1) In
accordance with section 12-245-304, the board issues a license to practice as a
psychologist based on whether the applicant satisfies minimum educational and
experience requirements that demonstrate competency to practice as a
psychologist. After a license is issued to an applicant, the licensed psychologist
shall complete continuing professional development and educational hours to
maintain his or her license as a psychologist.
(2) The board shall adopt rules establishing a continuing professional
development program that includes, at a minimum, the following elements:
(a) The development, execution, and documentation of a learning plan;
(b) A requirement that, every two years, a licensed psychologist complete at
least forty hours of continuing professional development, including one or more of
the following activities, in any combination, chosen by the licensed psychologist:
(I) (A) Attending workshops; seminars; symposia; colloquia; invited speaker
sessions; postdoctoral institutes; or scientific or professional programs offered at
meetings of local, state, regional, national, or international professional or scientific
organizations. The activities completed pursuant to this subsection (2)(b)(I) may
include online continuing education but must qualify as continuing education units
or continuing medical education credit approved by the American Psychological
Association, state medical association, or Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education or by a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
except that up to five of the continuing professional development hours completed
pursuant to this subsection (2)(b)(I) may come from attendance at nonaccredited
programming that meets the other requirements of this subsection (2)(b)(I).
(B) A licensed psychologist must retain a transcript or a certificate of
attendance, including a statement of the credits earned, provided at the end of the
workshop, seminar, symposium, colloquium, invited speaker session, postdoctoral
institute, or scientific or professional program offered at a meeting of a local, state,
regional, national, or international professional or scientific organization as
documentation of completion.
(II) Satisfactorily completing an ethics course offered by the American
Psychological Association, state medical association, or Accreditation Council for
Continuing Medical Education, or a regionally accredited institution of higher
education. A licensed psychologist must retain a certificate of attendance or a
transcript as documentation of completion. One continuing education hour is
equivalent to one professional development hour.
(III) Developing and teaching an academic course in psychology at an
institution accredited by a regional accrediting association. Credit is given for the
first time within a given licensure cycle that the licensed psychologist teaches the
course, as documented by the dean or head of the department of the institution in
which the course was taught, and is based on the number of credit hours, units, or
hours assigned by the institution. One academic credit, unit, or hour is equivalent to
ten continuing professional development hours.
(IV) Satisfactorily completing a graduate course in psychology offered by an
institution accredited by a regional accrediting association and documented by an
academic transcript showing the graduate credits earned. One academic credit,
unit, or hour is equivalent to ten continuing professional development hours.
(V) Developing and presenting for the first time within a given licensure
cycle a workshop, seminar, symposium, colloquium, or invited speaking session at a
meeting of a professional or scientific organization or a postdoctoral institute,
documented by a printed program or agenda. One hour of workshop, seminar,
symposium, colloquial presentation, or invited speaking session is equivalent to
three continuing professional development hours.
(VI) Authoring or editing a psychology publication documented by a cover
sheet, masthead, or table of contents from the publication. The maximum hours
that may be earned are as follows:
(A) Authoring a professional or scientific book is equivalent to forty hours of
continuing professional development hours;
(B) Authoring a professional or scientific book chapter or journal article is
equivalent to twenty hours of continuing professional development hours;
(C) Editing a professional or scientific book or journal is equivalent to thirty
hours of continuing professional development hours.
(VII) Providing editorial review of a professional psychological or scientific
journal article at the request of the journal's editorial staff. Editorial review, as
documented by acknowledgment of the completed review by the editorial staff, is
equivalent to one continuing professional development hour.
(c) A requirement that each licensed psychologist maintain all
documentation for his or her continuing professional development hours.
(3) A licensed psychologist is not required to receive preapproval from the
board or other entity prior to the completion of a continuing professional
development activity in order to receive credit for the continuing professional
development hours.
(4) The board may audit up to five percent of licensed psychologists each
two-year cycle to determine compliance with continuing professional development
requirements.
(5) (a) Records of assessments or other documentation developed or
submitted in connection with the continuing professional development program are
confidential and not subject to inspection by the public or discovery in connection
with a civil action against a licensed psychologist. The records or documents shall
be used only by the board for the purpose of determining whether a licensed
psychologist is maintaining continuing professional development necessary to
engage in the profession.
(b) Subject to the requirements of subsection (5)(a) of this section, nothing in
this section shall be construed to restrict the discovery of information or
documents that are otherwise discoverable under the Colorado rules of civil
procedure in connection with a civil action against a licensed psychologist.