CE Broker Gaps Before Biennial Renewal
A Mississippi dental hygienist plans to renew her license active before the Board's biennial renewal deadline. She has a CPR card that expired four months ago. She completed 42 CE hours: 2 hours infection control, 2 hours ethics, 1 hour online CPR, 5 hours practice management, 8 hours from a vendor that is not Board-approved, and the rest from approved clinical courses. CE Broker shows only 32 hours because two certificates were never uploaded and one course title was entered incorrectly. She also moved and did not receive the renewal notice. She asks the office manager whether she can simply pay the fee, keep working, and fix the CE later. The office manager wants to know if the hygienist can renew inactive instead and continue seeing patients during the transition.
1. Does paying the renewal fee solve the problem? Identify the CE and CPR deficiencies.
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Paying the fee is not enough. Active renewal requires a truthful attestation that CE, CPR, and any other requirements are complete. CE Broker showing 32 hours is a reporting problem, not proof of compliance; the hygienist must upload the two missing certificates and correct the mislabeled course. The 8 hours from a non-Board-approved vendor should not be counted unless the Board accepts the provider or course; the 1-hour online CPR course may not satisfy the hands-on CPR requirement, and her card is expired. She should total only Board-approved, category-specific hours and compare them with the hygienist requirement, not the dentist requirement. If she is short, she needs approved hours before renewal. She should keep certificates and CE Broker confirmations for audit. The office manager should not let her work on the assumption that the license will renew automatically.
2. Can the hygienist renew inactive and keep treating patients while she catches up?
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Inactive status is not a bridge to continue practicing. An inactive license generally allows the licensee to hold the credential without practicing; treating patients while inactive is unlicensed practice and can jeopardize later reinstatement. If she cannot complete CE and CPR before the deadline, she should stop clinical work, apply for inactive status if eligible, and ask the Board what is required to return to active status - fees, CE, CPR, and possibly late CE. She should not see the employer's patients next week on an inactive or expired license. If the deadline passes without renewal, she must follow reinstatement rules and not practice until the Board confirms active status. The employer should verify license status through the Board, not rely on a screenshot or a pending CE Broker record.
3. What concrete steps should she take to correct CE Broker and protect her renewal?
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Correct CE Broker first: upload certificates, fix the course title, and confirm the provider is Board-approved. If a provider will not supply a certificate, get a duplicate. Keep a personal log with dates, hours, titles, providers, and category. Then renew active only after CPR is current and the CE total is defensible. If she renews inactive, she must still meet whatever CE or inactive requirements apply and must not practice. After renewal, continue reporting CE each biennium and monitor the CE Broker account. If the Board audits, she should be able to produce certificates promptly; a CE Broker entry alone may not satisfy the audit if the certificate is missing. She should also update her address with the Board so renewal notices arrive.