64B18-17.001. Continuing Education Required for License Renewal

(1) All actively licensed podiatric physicians shall obtain continuing education that contributes to the reduction of risk in the practice of podiatric medicine and the advancement, extension or enhancement of professional skill and knowledge in the field of podiatric medicine and the licensee’s understanding of the regulatory law and rules which govern the practice of podiatric medicine. The continuing education that contributes to the advancement, extension or enhancement of professional skill and knowledge in the field of podiatric medicine, shall focus on subjects that are primarily scientific in nature and of significant benefit to the podiatric physician on a post-graduate level. No commercial laboratories will be approved for continuing education credit because those laboratories are designed primarily to demonstrate equipment and procedures for the purpose of making a sale.

(2) All licensees who seek to renew the active status of their licensure must demonstrate that they have completed, during the previous two years, at least forty (40) hours of continuing education.

(a) Within each license renewal biennium, a licensed podiatric physician shall complete a minimum of 32 hours via live in-person, or live interactive virtual events of professional continuing education, according to the criteria set forth in these rules. A maximum of 8 hours of continuing professional education may be earned from courses involving home study or anytime courses.

(b) At least one (1) of the forty (40) hours must concern the topic of risk management.

(c) At least one (1) of the forty (40) hours must be on the subject of laws and rules to bring the licensee up to date on laws and rules of the Board and the regulatory agency under which the Board operates.

(d) At least one 2-hour course must be on the subject of prevention of medical errors pursuant to section 456.013(7), F.S.

(e) At least two (2) of the forty (40) hours must be on the safe and effective prescribing of controlled substances, as required by section 461.007, F.S.

(f) For active licensees in good standing, up to ten (10) hours of pro bono service may be counted toward the required continuing education for the biennium in which the service was provided. Pro bono service, however, must be performed under the auspices of a nonprofit agency or in clinics serving the indigent or otherwise underserved populations in areas of critical need within the state. Proof of such service on the agency’s or clinic’s letterhead and signed by the director of the agency or clinic must be provided upon audit of the licensee’s continuing education credit hours.

(g) Licensees may complete up to three hours of continuing education per biennium in the area of practice management. Providership of any such hours must be approved in advance by the Continuing Education Committee. Such approval shall be granted pursuant to the requirements of Rule 64B18-17.002, F.A.C. Practice management is defined as the development or mechanics of establishing and managing an office, including enhancement of patient care, insurance issues, and working with managed care programs. It does not include methods of increasing business profits, marketing of podiatric services, investments, or financial management.

(h) Licensees may complete one board-approved continuing education course in the area of anti-discriminatory practice per biennium, not to exceed 2 credit hours.

(i) Active board members, for each full or partial biennium served on the Board, or former Board members participating in annual service on a Probable Cause Panel, shall receive thirteen hours of continuing education credit per biennium that may be used to satisfy the required hours for laws and rules, risk management, prevention of medical errors or other general continuing education requirements.

(j) All 40 hours may be earned through live in-person or live interactive virtual events as defined in paragraph 64B18-17.002(8)(b), F.A.C., but a maximum of only eight (8) hours may be obtained through homestudy or anytime courses as defined in paragraph 64B18-17.002(8)(a), F.A.C.

(3)(a) For the purpose of this rule, risk management is defined as the identification, investigation, analysis, and evaluation of risks, and the selection of the most advantageous method of correcting, reducing or eliminating identifiable risks.

(b) The continuing education requirement in risk management may be obtained by complying with paragraphs 1.-3., below, upon attendance of one (1) day of a regularly scheduled Board meeting which includes disciplinary proceedings:

1. The licensee must sign in with the Executive Director of the Board before the meeting begins.

2. The licensee must remain in continuous attendance.

3. The licensee must sign out with the Executive Director of the Board at the end of the meeting day.

(4) A licensed podiatric physician may only receive up to 8 hours of professional continuing education from courses involving home study or anytime courses taken during the biennium. For the 2020-2022 biennial renewal period, there shall be no cap on the number of credit hours that a licensed podiatric physician may receive for continuing education hours obtained through home study continuing education programs.

(5) Any volunteer expert witness who is providing expert witness opinions for cases being reviewed pursuant to Chapter 461, F.S., shall receive five (5) hours of credit in the area of risk management for each case reviewed up to a maximum of ten (10) hours per biennium. In this regard, volunteer expert witnesses are encouraged to perform a review of podiatric, medical, legal, and/or ethical literature, as appropriate to the case being reviewed.

(6) Continuing education earned for the purpose of renewing a delinquent license or reactivating an inactive license to active status may not be applied to the continuing education requirement for the next biennial renewal date.

(7) If the licensee has not actively practiced podiatric medicine for at least 2 years of the immediately preceding 4 years, the board shall require the licensee to successfully complete a board-approved course prior to renewal of the license. For a licensee to have “actively practiced podiatric medicine” as defined in section 461.007, F.S., the annual practice, teaching, or administration of podiatric medicine must minimally constitute an average of 20 hours per week.

(8) By January 1, 2021, each licensee or certificate holder shall complete a 1-hour board-approved continuing education course on human trafficking. The course must address both sex trafficking and labor trafficking, how to identify individuals who may be victims of human trafficking, how to report cases of human trafficking, and resources available to victims. The one-time human trafficking course shall apply to the regular 40-hour biennial renewal requirement for all licensees and is required of new applicants in their first renewal biennium as well as of licensees renewing to active status if the course has not already been taken.

(9) Licensees must retain proof of attendance at continuing education programs for two years subsequent to the expiration of the biennial period for which the programs are claimed. Proof of attendance must be documented by a record of registration or certification of attendance issued by the program which states the number of credit hours received. An acceptable record of registration at a program is a receipt for the program, a copy of an embossed badge identifying the name, date and location of the program, or a copy of the front and back of the canceled check used by the licensee to pay for the program.

(10) Certified podiatric x-ray assistants must complete a 6-hour board-approved recertification course which includes an examination as set forth in section 461.0135, F.S., prior to renewal of certification. Certified podiatric x-ray assistants shall also complete a (2) hour course on the subject of prevention of medical errors pursuant to section 456.013(7), F.S.

(11) Licensees must submit verification of attendance at any required continuing education course(s) to the Board or the Department within thirty (30) days of a request for such documentation.

(12) No later than upon first renewal, all licensees must demonstrate completion of a continuing education course approved by the Board on the topic of HIV/AIDS.

Rulemaking Authority 456.013(6), 456.033, 461.005, 461.007(3) FS. Law Implemented 456.013(6), (7), (9), 456.033, 456.0341, 456.036(11), 461.003(5), 461.007(1), (3) FS. History–New 11-24-80, Formerly 21T-17.01, Amended 10-14-86, 2-21-88, 5-16-89, Formerly 21T-17.001, Amended 7-6-94, Formerly 61F12-17.001, Amended 1-1-96, 1-2-97, 6-1-97, Formerly 59Z-17.001, Amended 4-25-00, 9-27-01, 11-27-05, 1-29-07, 11-19-12, 8-6-18, 5-14-20, 6-1-21, 11-3-21, 4-19-23, 3-7-24.