§ 6609-A — Mandatory continuing education for dental hygienists

§ 6609-a. Mandatory continuing education for dental hygienists. 1.\n(A) Each dental hygienist, licensed pursuant to this article and\nrequired to register triennially with the department to practice in this\nstate shall comply with the provisions of the mandatory continuing\neducation requirements, except as set forth in paragraphs (B) and (C) of\nthis subdivision. Dental hygienists who do not satisfy the mandatory\ncontinuing education requirements shall not practice until they have met\nsuch requirements and have been issued a registration or conditional\nregistration certificate.\n (B) Dental hygienists shall be exempt from the mandatory continuing\neducation requirement for the triennial registration period during which\nthey are first licensed. In accordance with the intent of this section,\nadjustments to the mandatory continuing education requirement may be\ngranted by the department for reasons of health, certified by a\nphysician, for extended active duty with the Armed Forces of the United\nStates, or for other good cause acceptable to the department which may\nprevent compliance.\n (C) A licensed dental hygienist not engaged in the practice of dental\nhygiene shall be exempt from the mandatory continuing education\nrequirement upon the filing of a statement with the department declaring\nsuch status. Any licensee who returns to the practice of dental hygiene\nduring the triennial registration period shall notify the department\nprior to reentering the profession and shall meet such mandatory\ncontinuing education requirements as shall be prescribed by regulation\nof the commissioner.\n 2. During each triennial registration period an applicant for\nregistration shall complete a minimum of twenty-four hours of acceptable\nformal continuing education including currently mandated child abuse\nreporting instruction and infection control training as approved by the\ndepartment. Of these twenty-four hours a maximum of ten hours may be\nself-instructional coursework as approved by the department. Any dental\nhygienist whose first registration date following the effective date of\nthis section occurs less than three years from such effective date, but\non or after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-eight, shall complete\ncontinuing education hours on a prorated basis at the rate of one and\none-quarter hours per month for the period beginning January first,\nnineteen hundred ninety-seven up to the first registration date\nthereafter. A licensee who has not satisfied the mandatory continuing\neducation requirements shall not be issued a triennial registration\ncertificate by the department and shall not practice unless and until a\nconditional registration certificate is issued as provided in\nsubdivision three of this section. The individual licensee shall\ndetermine the selection of courses or programs of study pursuant to\nsubdivision four of this section.\n 3. The department, in its discretion, may issue a conditional\nregistration to a licensee who fails to meet the continuing education\nrequirements established in subdivision two of this section but who\nagrees to make up any deficiencies and take any additional education\nwhich the department may require. The fee for such a conditional\nregistration shall be the same as, and in addition to, the fee for the\ntriennial registration. The duration of such conditional registration\nshall be determined by the department. Any licensee who is notified of\nthe denial of registration for failure to submit evidence, satisfactory\nto the department, of completion of required continuing education and\nwho practices dental hygiene without such registration, may be subject\nto disciplinary proceedings pursuant to section sixty-five hundred ten\nof this title.\n 4. As used in this section, "acceptable formal continuing education"\nshall mean formal programs of learning which contribute to professional\npractice and which meet the standards prescribed by regulations of the\ncommissioner. To fulfill the mandatory continuing education requirement,\nprograms must be taken from sponsors approved by the department,\npursuant to the regulations of the commissioner.\n 5. The mandatory continuing education fee of thirty dollars shall be\npayable on or before the first day of each triennial registration\nperiod, and shall be paid in addition to the triennial registration fee\nrequired by section sixty-six hundred nine of this article.\n