Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 02, November 27, 2024
(1)
Purpose -- In order to safeguard life, health, and property, and to promote the
public welfare, the practice of geology in Alabama requires continuing
education in accordance with Section
34-41-12(c),
Code of Ala. 1975, and this Rule.
(2) Scope -- Each in-state and out-of-state
licensee shall be required to meet the continuing educational requirements of
these regulations for professional development as a condition for license
renewal. Continuing education obtained by a licensee should maintain, improve
or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure or develop
new and relevant skills and knowledge.
(3) Definitions -- Terms used in this section
are defined as follows:
(a) Professional
Development Hour (PDH) -- A contact (clock) hour consisting of not less than
fifty (50) minutes of instruction or presentation and which further meets the
requirements of these rules.
(b)
Sponsor -- An individual, organization, association, institution or other
entity which provides an educational activity used to fulfill the continuing
educational requirements of this rule.
(c) Board -- The Alabama Board of Licensure
for Professional Geologists, the legal state entity having jurisdiction to
license individuals to practice the profession of geology and to discipline
those practitioners who violate the applicable laws or rules promulgated by the
Board.
(d) Licensee -- A person
licensed as a professional geologist in the State of Alabama.
(4) Requirements -- To demonstrate
that a licensed professional geologist maintains an acceptable level of
competency, a licensee must obtain the number of Professional Development Hours
(PDH) as shown below. This requirement must be satisfied biennially during the
two (2) year period from July 1 through June 30 except for any carryover
permitted.
(a) The licensed professional
geologist must earn a minimum of thirty (30) PDH per biennial period, except
for the carryover permitted. The number of professional development hours which
may be carried forward into the next biennial period shall not exceed fifteen
(15).
(5) Activities --
Continuing educational activities which satisfy the professional development
requirements shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) successfully completing or auditing
college or university sponsored courses,
(b) successfully completing courses which are
awarded continuing educational units (CEU),
(c) attending seminars, tutorial, short
courses, correspondence courses, or online courses,
(d) attending in-house programs sponsored by
corporations or other organizations,
(e) teaching or instructing as described in
(a) through (d) above,
(f)
authoring published papers, articles, or books,
(g) making presentations at technical
meetings,
(h) attending program
presentations or field trips at related technical or professional meetings.
All of such activities as described in (a) through (h) above
must be relevant to the practice of geology and may include both technical or
managerial content. Participation in any claimed PDH activity must be
accompanied by the prescribed documentation as established by the Board.
(6) Criteria --
Continuing educational activities must meet the following criteria:
(a) there is a clear purpose and objective
for each activity which will maintain, improve or expand skills and knowledge
obtained prior to initial licensure or to develop new and relevant skills and
knowledge.
(b) the content of each
presentation is well organized and presented in a sequential manner.
(c) there is evidence of preplanning which
should include the opportunity for input by the target group to be
served.
(d) the presentation will
be made by persons who are well qualified by education or experience.
(e) there is a provision for individual
participant registration which will include information required for record
keeping and reporting.
(7) Units -- The conversion to PDH units from
other units is as follows:
|
One (1) University semester hour of credit
|
fifteen (15) PDH
|
|
One (1) University quarter hour of credit
|
ten (10) PDH
|
|
One (1) Continuing Educational Unit (CEU)
|
ten (10) PDH
|
|
One (1) Hour of acceptable professional
activities
|
ten (1) PDH
|
(8)
Credits -- Professional Development Hours (PDH) of credit for qualifying
courses successfully completed which offer semester hour, quarter hour, or CEU
credit is as specified above. All other activities permit the earning of one
(1) PDH of credit for each contact hour as defined in Rule
364-X-13-.02(3)(a),
with the following exceptions:
(a) auditing of
university or college courses permit PDH credit of 1/3 that shown in (7)
above.
(b) teaching or instructing
qualifying courses or seminars or making presentations at technical meetings
can earn PDH credit at twice that of participants.
(c) authorship of papers, articles, books, or
other published works cannot be claimed until actually published. Credit earned
will equal preparation time spent not to exceed twenty-five (25) PDH per
publication.
(d) the Board does not
encourage meeting continuing educational requirements exclusively through
online courses. Web-based programs that monitor attendance are offered in real
time are eligible for one (1) PDH of credit for each contact hour. Web-based
programs that are pre-recorded will not be eligible for credit unless
attendance is monitored, and an instructor is available for comment and
questions.
(9)
Exemptions -- A licensee may be exempt from the professional development
educational requirements for one of the following reasons:
(a) new licensees by way of examination or
reciprocity shall be exempt for their first renewal period.
(b) non-career military licensees serving on
active duty in the armed forces of the United States may be exempted at the
discretion of the Board upon application of the licensee from obtaining the
professional development hours required during the biennial period.
(c) a licensee employed as a professional
geologist and assigned to duty outside the United States may be exempted from
obtaining the professional development hours required during that biennial
period upon application of the licensee.
(d) licensees experiencing physical
disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances as reviewed and
approved by the Board may be exempt. Supporting documentation must be furnished
to the Board.
(e) licensees who
list their occupation as Retired/inactive on the Board approved renewal form
and who certify that they are not currently practicing geology shall be exempt
from the professional development hours required. In the event such a person
elects to return to active practice of professional geology, professional
development hours must be earned for the exempted period not to exceed the
requirement for two (2) years before the person returns to active
practice.
(f) licensees who are the
age of sixty-five (65) at the time of renewal.
(10) Reciprocity -- Continuing educational
requirements may be met without completing the entire renewal form if a
licensee resides in another state which is listed by the Alabama Board as
having continuing educational requirements equivalent and acceptable to the
Alabama Board and the licensee certifies in the appropriate section that all
continuing educational and licensure requirements for that state have been
met.
(11) Forms -- All renewal
applications will require the completion of a continuing education form
specified by the Board outlining PDH credit claimed. The licensee must supply
sufficient detail on the form to permit audit verification, must certify and
sign the continuing education form, and submit it with the renewal application
and fee.
(12) Records -- The
responsibility of maintaining records which can be used to support credits
claimed is the responsibility of the licensee. Records required include but are
not limited to:
(1) a log showing the type of
activity claimed, sponsoring organization-1, location, duration, instructor's
or speaker's name, and PDH credits earned;
(2) attendance verification records in the
form of completion certificates, signed attendance receipts, paid receipts, a
copy of a listing of attendees signed by a person in responsible charge, or
other documents supporting evidence of attendance. These records must be
maintained for a period of three (3) years and copies must be furnished to the
Board for audit verification purposes if requested.
(13) Disallowance -- If the Board disallows
claimed PDH credit, the licensee shall have 180 days after notification to
substantiate the original claim or to earn other credit to meet the minimum
requirement.
(14) Failure to Comply
-- If a licensee fails to furnish the required continuing education form,
properly completed and/or signed, the right to practice as a Licensed
Professional Geologist in the State of Alabama will expire on September 30th of
the renewal year as specified in Rule
364-X-13-.03.
Author: Thornton L. Neathery
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, §
34-41-12.
