Establishment of Continuing Education Requirement

(1) Every registrant shall complete a minimum of eight hours of continuing education prior to the end of each Registration Period in courses or programs approved by the Board as a condition for renewal of his or her registration. (2) All continuing education courses or programs approved by the Board shall require Board registrants to complete and pass an examination on the material presented in the course or program as a condition to receiving continuing education credit for the course or program. (3) As part of the continuing education required by 239 CMR 5.03(1), every registrant shall obtain at least one hour of continuing education to be in compliance with the regulations of the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding information on bloodborne pathogen exposure risks and protection from such risks, as delineated in 239 CMR 3.12(13) and 29 CFR 1910.1030. (4) The Board may extend the deadline for completion of the continuing education requirements upon a showing by the registrant that such requirements impose an undue hardship due to unforeseen circumstances. Such a request must be in writing, under oath, and accompanied by a letter addressed to the Board written and signed by a licensed medical doctor stating the nature of the registrant's medical condition and the correlation between that condition and the registrant's inability both to complete the required continuing education within the required period as well as the registrant's inability to work. A registrant shall also be eligible for a waiver of mandatory continuing education deadlines if the registrant can provide adequate documentation to show that another individual under the care of the registrant is suffering from an illness or disability and that said care prevented the registrant both from completing continuing education as well as preventing the registrant from working. (MA REG. # S1331, Dated 1-27-17) A registrant shall not be required to complete the continuing education required by 239 CMR 5.03(1) for the Registration Period in which he or she obtains his or her initial registration in order to obtain renewal of said registration for the following Registration Period, but shall be required to obtain such continuing education for all subsequent renewals. Nothing in 239 CMR 5.03(5) shall exempt a registrant from having to obtain the continuing education in bloodborne pathogen risks required by 239 CMR 3.12(13) and 5.03(2).