Continuing Education

PURPOSE: This rule details the board’s minimum requirements for continuing education. (1) Each licensee shall complete and report at least forty (40) hours of continuing education each renewal period. The board shall not issue a renewal of a licensee’s certificate of registration unless the licensee demonstrates active certification by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants and completion of forty (40) hours of continuing education accredited by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants or the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. The period for completion of the continuing education requirements shall be the twenty-four (24)-month period prior to the expiration of their license. A licensee who has failed to obtain and report, in a timely fashion, forty (40) hours of continuing education shall not engage in practice as an anesthesiologist assistant unless an extension is obtained pursuant to section (4) of this rule. (2) Each licensee shall certify by attestation, under penalty of perjury, that s/he has completed the required hours of continuing education listed by him/her on the renewal form. (3) Each licensee shall retain records documenting his/her attendance at and completion of the required hours of continuing education for a minimum of three (3) years after the reporting period in which the continuing education was completed. The records shall document the titles of the courses taken, dates, locations, course sponsors and number of hours earned. The board may conduct an audit of licensees to verify compliance with the continuing education requirement. Licensees shall assist the board in its audit by providing timely and complete responses to the board’s inquiries. (4) A licensee who cannot complete the required hours of continuing education because of personal illness, military service or other circumstances beyond the licensee’s control which the board deems to be sufficient to impose an insurmountable hardship may apply for an extension of time to complete the continuing education requirements. Any extension of time to complete the continuing education requirements will be granted solely in the discretion of the board. The licensee must make a written application for extension of time prior to the deadline for completion of the continuing education requirement. The application for extension shall be accompanied by a processing fee as required in 20 CSR 2150-9.080. The licensee shall provide full and complete written documentation of the grounds supporting the reasons for which an extension is sought. (A) Pursuant to section 41.946, RSMo licensees in the military are exempt from obtaining continuing medical education if they are called to active duty under competent orders for at least a majority of the reporting period due to his/her military service commitment. At a minimum, the licensee must submit written documentation from the appropriate military authorities verifying the licensee’s military service commitment. (B) Illness extensions may be granted only to a licensee who has suffered a personal illness or personal disability of a nature as to prevent him/her from engaging in the active practice for at least a majority of the reporting period. At a minimum, the licensee shall provide the board with written documentation from the licensee’s treating physician stating the nature of the illness or disability, the period of the illness or disability, any limitations on the licensee’s activities which resulted from the illness or disability. The licensee shall notify the board of the number of hours earned in the reporting year and a plan for completing the balance of the requirement. (C) The board, solely in its discretion, may grant an extension based on unforeseeable circumstances beyond the licensee’s control which impose an insurmountable hardship precluding the licensee from obtaining the required continuing education. At a minimum, the licensee must provide written documentation explaining specifically and in detail the nature of the circumstances, why the circumstances were unforeseeable and beyond the licensee’s control, the period during which the circumstances were in existence, the number of continuing education credits earned in the reporting period and the licensee’s plan for completing the balance of the requirements. The board, in its discretion, shall determine if the situation described in the licensee’s application constitutes unforeseeable circumstances beyond the licensee’s control which impose an insurmountable hardship precluding the licensee from obtaining the required continuing education. (D) A licensee who is granted an extension of time shall complete the balance of his/her continuing education requirements no later than April 30 immediately following the end of the reporting period for which an extension was sought and shall provide the board with written documentation of his/her completion of the continuing education requirements no later than May 10 immediately following the end of the reporting period for which an extension was sought. Failure to complete the continuing education requirements by April 30 or to file the documentation with the board by May 10 shall constitute a violation of section 334.420, RSMo and this rule. (E) An extension of time shall not be granted to any licensee who obtained an extension in the immediately preceding reporting period in which the licensee held an active license. (5) For purposes of section 334.420, RSMo concerning waiver of the continuing education requirements for retired anesthesiologist assistants, a retired anesthesiologist assistant is one who has neither engaged in active practice as an anesthesiologist assistant nor held themselves out as an active practicing anesthesiologist assistant and, pursuant to section 334.410, RSMo, has executed and filed with the board a retirement affidavit. A retired anesthesiologist assistant may keep their wall-hanging certificate after execution of a retirement affidavit but shall surrender, upon retirement, all other indicia of licensure. AUTHORITY: section 334.125, RSMo 2000 and section 334.414, RSMo Supp. 2007.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 150-9.070. Original rule filed Jan. 17, 2006, effective Aug. 30, 2006. Moved to 20 CSR 21509.070, effective Aug. 28, 2006. Amended: Filed Dec. 14, 2007, effective June 30, 2008. *Original authority: 334.125, RSMo 1959, amended 1993, 1995 and 334.414, RSMo 2003.