Chapter 03. Continuing Education
Regulation .01 Approval of Training.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The Board shall approve and credit training that meets the requirements of this regulation.
B.
Approved training shall be designed to improve, advance, or extend professional skill and knowledge relating to the practice of an environmental health specialist.
C.
Approved training may consist of participation in any of the following:
(1)
College-level or post-graduate course work given by an accredited educational institution;
(2)
Courses, seminars, workshops, or lectures;
(3)
Extension studies, on-line courses, and correspondence courses, if there is satisfactory proof of completion, acceptable to the Board;
(4)
In-service training, if there is satisfactory proof of completion;
(5)
Authoring a paper published in a professional journal requiring peer review;
(6)
Instruction of approved training courses; or
(7)
For licensees applying for renewal for the first time:
(a)
On-the-job training in an environmental health specialist-in-training program under the supervision of an environmental health sponsor; or
(b)
Practice as an environmental health specialist or its equivalent in another state or territory of the United States, as approved by the Board.
D.
Determination of Hours of Approved Training. The Board shall determine the hours of approved training as follows:
(1)
For courses for which continuing education units (CEUs) have been assigned, 1 CEU is equivalent to 10 clock or classroom hours of approved training;
(2)
For courses given in educational institutions, 1 hour of classroom training is equivalent to 1 hour of approved training;
(3)
For training such as online courses, correspondence courses, extension studies, authored papers, and any other approved training, the Board shall determine the hours of approved training on a case-by-case basis;
(4)
For instruction of an approved training course, the Board shall grant:
(a)
1 hour of training for 1 hour of instruction;
(b)
Up to 10 hours of training per license renewal period; and
(c)
Hours as an instructor only once per license renewal period for each training course; and
(5)
For licensees applying for renewal for the first time, the Board shall grant 5 hours of approved training for each full 6-month period that the licensee participated in training or work experience listed in §C(7) of this regulation within the license renewal period.
E.
Assignment of Hours of Approved Training.
(1)
The Board shall assign hours of approved training to a license renewal if the licensee completed the hours of training during the license renewal period, unless an extension has been granted pursuant to Regulation .04 of this chapter.
(2)
For licensees applying for renewal for the first time, the Board shall assign hours of approved training to the license renewal if the licensee completed training set forth under:
(a)
§C(1)—(6) of this regulation after the date the initial license is issued; or
(b)
§C(7) of this regulation during the license renewal period.
(3)
Within the license renewal period, credit may not be received for training that is substantially similar to another training as determined by the Board.
F.
Procedures.
(1)
The sponsor of a training course or licensee may request of the Board approval of training on a form provided by the Board.
(2)
The Board shall maintain a list of all approved providers.
Regulation .02 Pre-Approved Providers and Courses.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Pre-Approved Providers.
(1)
Pre-approved providers shall offer continuing education programs that meet the objectives set forth in Regulations .01A and C of this chapter.
(2)
The following are pre-approved providers:
(a)
National, regional, or State accredited academic institutions offering academic courses or programs recognized as acceptable environmental health specialist subject areas as defined by COMAR 10.60.01.01B(20);
(b)
State regional, national, or international, environmental health specialist associations offering educational programs recognized as acceptable environmental health specialist subject areas as defined by COMAR 10.60.01.01B(20); and
(c)
State, regional, national, or international non-environmental health specialist associations offering educational programs recognized as acceptable environmental health specialist subject areas as defined by COMAR 10.60.01.01B(20).
B.
The Board shall maintain a list of pre-approved providers [and pre-approved continuing education courses] on its website.
Regulation .03 Extension of Time.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The Board may grant an extension and conditionally renew a license for 6 months if the Board determines that:
(1)
Failure to fulfill the continuing education requirements is a result of:
(a)
Functional impairment or prolonged illness that has been diagnosed by a health care practitioner;
(b)
Mandatory military service or deployment;
(c)
A prolonged absence from the United States;
(d)
An officially declared disaster; or
(e)
Financial hardship; and
(2)
The licensee attempted to meet the requirements.
B.
A licensee’s failure to obtain the required continuing education units on or before the end of the 6-month extension shall result in the licensee’s inability to practice as an environmental health specialist in the State.
C.
If a licensee cannot obtain the required continuing education units on or before the end of the 6-month extension, the licensee may submit an application for inactive status.
D.
A licensee’s failure to obtain the required continuing education units within the 6-month extension period or to submit an inactive status application shall result in the license being placed on non-renewed status.
Regulation .04 Reporting, Documenting, and Auditing Compliance with Continuing Education Requirements.LinkCopy Citation
A.
A licensee shall attest whether the licensee has completed the required number of hours of approved training on a form provided by the Board as part of the application for renewal.
B.
The Board shall:
(1)
Audit a percentage of its licensees, to be selected by the Board, for completion of approved training each renewal period; and
(2)
Send a notice of audit to all licensees to be audited.
C.
A licensee subject to an audit shall provide documentation of completion of all required approved training as specified in §D of this regulation within 30 days of the date of the notice of audit.
D.
Required Documentation.
(1)
A licensee shall provide to the Board a:
(a)
Transcript for courses taken at an accredited educational institution; and
(b)
Certificate of completion for the approved training.
(2)
If a certificate of completion is not available, the licensee shall provide other documentation determined by the Board to be adequate, in light of the nature of the training, to establish that training was actually received by the licensee.
(3)
Other documentation adequate to establish that training was actually received may include:
(a)
Date, location, and proof of attendance;
(b)
Names and credentials of the presenters;
(c)
Agenda, learning objectives, and topics presented;
(d)
An outline of the presentation; and
(e)
Proof of presentations made.
(4)
A licensee shall submit any additional information requested by the Board to evaluate completion of continuing education requirements.
E.
Continuing Education Record Retention.
(1)
A licensee with an active license shall retain records documenting completion of continuing education requirements for 2 years after the licensing renewal date for which the report of continuing education was submitted to the Board.
(2)
The documentation required in §E(1) of this regulation may be requested by the Board at any time within that 2-year period.
Regulation .05 Failure to Comply with Continuing Education Requirements.LinkCopy Citation
A.
A license will not be renewed if the licensee:
(1)
Fails to attest on the renewal application that the licensee has completed the required number of hours of approved training; and
(2)
Was not granted an extension from the Board pursuant to Regulation .03 of this chapter.
B.
The Board may take disciplinary action against any licensee who, during an audit:
(1)
Fails to submit the required documentation in accordance with Regulation .04 of this chapter;
(2)
Fails to demonstrate completion of the required hours of approved training in accordance with this chapter; or
(3)
Falsifies or misrepresents any information concerning continuing education on a renewal application.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Health Occupations Article, §§21-101—21-502, Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date:
History: Regulations .01 and.02 adopted as an emergency provision effective January 3, 2013 (40:6 Md. R. 469); adopted permanently effective April 15, 2013 (40:7 Md. R. 612)
History: Regulation .01 amended effective June 28, 2021 (48:13 Md. R. 508); May 1, 2023 (50:8 Md. R. 338)
History: Regulation .01C, E amended effective November 9, 2015 (42:22 Md. R. 1379); April 23, 2018 (45:8 Md. R. 422)
History: Regulation .02B amended effective November 9, 2015 (42:22 Md. R. 1379); June 28, 2021 (48:13 Md. R. 508)
History: Regulation .03 adopted effective March 13, 2017 (44:5 Md. R. 294)
History: Regulation .03A amended effective June 28, 2021 (48:13 Md. R. 508)
History: Regulation .04 adopted effective April 23, 2018 (45:8 Md. R. 422)
History: Chapter revised as an emergency provision effective January 9, 2024 (51:3 Md. R. 153); emergency status expired July 7, 2024; chapter revised permanently effective August 5, 2024 (51:15 Md. R. 710)