Continuing Education Requirements
CE framework
The Board's CE rule in ARM 24.168 sets the number of hours, the renewal cycle, acceptable subject matter, provider approval and documentation. CE must be relevant to optometry and to the licensee's scope; the Board may require specific hours in jurisprudence, ethics, pharmacology or laser practice. Licensees attest to completion and must keep certificates for audit.
Compliance steps
- Read the current rule for the cycle's hour count; do not import another state's requirement.
- Use Board-approved or rule-qualifying courses.
- Observe limits on self-study, online or non-clinical courses.
- Keep certificates, agendas and attendance records for the audit period.
- Report only completed hours; false attestation is unprofessional conduct.
Worked example
A licensee completes 24 hours, including 10 hours of practice-management self-study and 14 hours of clinical lectures. Reasoning: first apply the rule's total-hour requirement; then apply any cap on self-study or practice management. If the rule caps self-study at 8, only 8 of the 10 count, so the licensee must verify whether the 14 clinical hours plus 8 reach the total. If not, additional approved CE is needed before renewal.
Traps
- Counting a course twice.
- Assuming any business course counts as optometry CE.
- Waiting for an audit to collect certificates.
- Confusing CE with the jurisprudence examination.
- Relying on a provider's statement that a course is Board approved without verification.