LAC 46:LI.301. Continuing Education

A. Each licensed optometrist shall comply with the following continuing education requirements. 1. Standard optometry license holders and diagnostic pharmaceutical certificate holders shall complete between January 1 and December 31 of each calendar year at least 12 hours of continuing education courses, of which a minimum of 10 hours must be obtained in a classroom setting, approved by the Louisiana State Board of Optometry Examiners; provided, however, a minimum of 9 of 12 hours must be obtained in a classroom setting in the calendar year in which an optometrist holding a controlled dangerous substance license satisfies the one-time continuing education requirement for controlled dangerous substances set forth in §303. 2. License holders authorized to diagnose and treat pathology and use and prescribe therapeutic pharmaceutical agents shall complete between January 1 and December 31 of each calendar year at least 16 hours of continuing education courses, of which a minimum of 14 hours must be obtained in a classroom setting, approved by the Louisiana State Board of Optometry Examiners, and of which at least eight classroom hours shall consist of matters related to ocular and systemic pharmacology and current diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease; provided, however, a minimum of 13 of 16 hours must be obtained in a classroom setting in the calendar year in which an optometrist holding a controlled dangerous substance license satisfies the one-time continuing education requirement for controlled dangerous substances set forth in §303. Such certificate holders will be entitled to apply the CPR continuing education to their required annual continuing education, provided that such CPR continuing education shall not count toward the required eight classroom hours related to ocular and system pharmacology and current diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease, and provided further that no more than two hours of CPR continuing education may be applied to the continuing education requirement in any two calendar year periods. The eight hours of continuing education relating to ocular and systemic pharmacology and/or current diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease shall be obtained solely from the following sources: a. the American Optometric Association; b. any state optometric association affiliated with the American Optometric Association; c. Great Western Council of Optometry, Mountain West Council of Optometrists, North Central States Optometric Council, and Southern Council of Optometrists; d. the American Academy of Optometry; or e. schools and colleges of optometry accredited by the American Optometric Association Accreditation Council on Optometric Education.