§ 794 — Continuing education requirements

§ 794. Continuing education requirements. 1. Prior to the expiration\nof a certificate of registration and as a condition of renewal, each\nhearing aid dispenser registered pursuant to subdivision one of section\nseven hundred ninety of this article shall submit documentation showing\nsuccessful completion of twenty continuing education credits through a\ncourse or courses approved by the secretary in consultation with the\nadvisory board, or, in relation to audiologists licensed pursuant to\narticle one hundred fifty-nine of the education law, the office of the\nprofessions in the education department. Such formal courses of learning\nshall include, but not be limited to, collegiate level of credit in\nnon-credit courses, professional development programs and technical\nsessions offered by national, state and local professional associations\nand other organizations acceptable to the secretary and any other\norganized educational and technical programs acceptable to the\nsecretary. The secretary may, in his or her discretion, and as needed to\ncontribute to the health and welfare of the public, require the\ncompletion of continuing education courses in specific subjects to\nfulfill this mandatory continuing education requirement. Courses shall\nbe taken from a sponsor approved by the secretary pursuant to\nregulations promulgated pursuant to this section.\n 2. A hearing aid dispenser registered under paragraph (b) of\nsubdivision one of section seven hundred ninety of this article may\nsatisfy the requirements of subdivision one of this section by\ndemonstrating to the secretary compliance with such continuing\ncompetency requirements as are prescribed by article one hundred\nfifty-nine of the education law, provided, however, that, such persons\nshall submit documentation showing the successful completion of four\ncontinuing education credits relating to the dispensing of hearing aids.\n 3. (a) Within one year of the effective date of this article, the\nsecretary shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing the\nmethod, content and supervision requirements for the continuing\neducation course or courses provided for in this section. Properly\nprepared written materials of the subject matter of each course shall be\ndistributed and each course shall be taught by an instructor who meets\nrequirements established by the secretary upon the recommendation of the\nboard. Any person or organization offering a course shall apply to the\nsecretary for authorization to offer such course or courses pursuant to\nsaid rules and regulations.\n (b) Credits shall be awarded based on one hour of credit for each\nsixty minutes of participation. The secretary may prescribe the form or\nforms on which participation and credits are documented. At the\nconclusion of each approved course, a certificate of completion shall be\ntransmitted to the secretary.\n