Section 21.724. Continuing education

(a) Prior to renewal. One hour of CPE credit will be given for each 50-minute clock hour of CPE activity. Each LDN shall complete 30 CPE credits during the 2 calendar years immediately preceding the application for license renewal. If any activity overlaps two renewal periods, the date of completion of the activity determines the date in which the activity can be reported.

(b) Board-approved continuing professional education. The Board will accept for completion of the CPE requirement substantive learning experiences, subject to the limitations in paragraph (2) relating to the field of nutrition and dietetics which are not designed for the public and which are sponsored by the ADA, the ACN, by individual state dietetic associations, if the association is a member of the ADA or ACN, by approved college or dietetic programs under § 21.722 (relating to education and examination of applicants) when a certificate of attendance is issued, and courses related to the practice of dietetics-nutrition offered by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Accreditation Council on Pharmaceutical Education, the American Osteopathic Association and the American Medical Association.

(1) In addition to lecture-based CPE courses, LDNs may apply to the Board for approval of CPE credit and the Board may, upon review by the LDN Committee, grant credit for the following:

(i) Case presentations, such as grand rounds or patient case studies.

(ii) Academic coursework and research studies approved by an institutional review board.

(iii) Interactive workshops.

(iv) Lecturers and seminars.

(v) Residency and Fellowship programs which are at the post baccalaureate level, and are sponsored by a United States regionally accredited college or university, or an institution accredited/approved by the Joint Committee on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

(2) The Board will not accept for completion of the CPE requirement the following:

(i) Academic coursework or programs on office management skills, or entrepreneurship, strategic business planning, computer skills, except courses directly related to the practice of dietetics-nutrition such as accessing nutrient analysis databases.

(ii) Attendance at exhibits manned by detail personnel.

(iii) Journal clubs.

(iv) Professional leadership, such as holding an elective office in a dietetics or dietetics-related organization.

(v) Professional reading for which there is no evaluative test submitted and no certificate of completion or CPE unit awarded.

(c) Documentation. The licensee shall retain documentation of completion of Board-approved continuing education (as set forth in subsection (b)) for at least 5 years and shall submit this documentation upon request of the Board.

(d) Waiver. An LDN who can demonstrate to the Board a verified hardship may request a waiver of CPE requirements for a single biennial period. It shall be the duty of each licensee seeking waiver to notify the Board in writing and request the waiver, at least 60 days prior to the end of the biennial renewal period, which will be granted, denied, or granted in part.

Notation

Cross References

This section cited in 49 Pa. Code § 21.723 (relating to license renewal).