Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) The process to
establish a new equine dental provider certification program shall be initiated
with the Board one year prior to the anticipated start date of the
certification program.
(b) An
organization that educates equine dental providers cannot own or control an
equine dental provider certification program.
(c) The individual writing the application
for board approval of an equine dental provider certification program should
hold a current license to practice as an equine dental provider in Texas.
(1) The name and credentials of the author of
the application should be included in the document.
(2) A qualified director must be employed by
the program early in the application process, and in no event shall a director
be hired later than six (6) months prior to the submission of the application
to the Board. The director shall:
(A) hold a
current license to practice equine dentistry or veterinary medicine in Texas;
and
(B) have a minimum of ten (10)
years experience as a practicing equine dental provider.
(3) The program director must review/revise
the application and agree with the components of the application as being
representative of the proposed certification program that the individual will
be responsible for administratively.
(4) If the program director changes, the
director shall submit to the Board written notification of the change
indicating the final date of employment, and identifying and providing
information about the qualifications of a replacement director.
(5) The director shall have authority to
direct the equine dental provider certification program in all its aspects and
phases, including approving staff, selection of testing sites, facilities and
equipment, application processes, rejection of applicants, and enforcement of
policies.
(6) The director shall
notify the Board immediately when there is a change in the name of the
certification program or the governing organization, or when there are changes
in the contact information.
(d) The application shall include the
following information documenting written policies on the following required
elements for a board-approved equine dental provider certification program:
(1) Documentation of financial stability,
including but not limited to information on ownership, sources and amounts of
financial resources and support for the first two years of operation, financial
audit, and budget for the program.
(2) Policies on examiners, including but not
limited to qualifications, responsibilities, performance evaluation criteria,
and terms of employment.
(A) An equine dental
provider certification program shall employ examiners in sufficient numbers and
with the training and expertise necessary to evaluate accurately the skill and
knowledge of applicants for equine dental provider licensure.
(B) All examiners must hold active Texas
veterinary licenses or equine dental provider licenses.
(C) All examiners must have at least five (5)
years of experience working as an equine dental provider.
(D) All examiners must be evaluated annually
by the program director.
(3) Position descriptions for the director
and examiners outlining their job duties and responsibilities.
(4) Requirements for examiner training, plans
for examiner development and requirements for examiner continuing
education.
(5) Requirements for
certification, including but not limited to:
(A) Prerequisites for
certification.
(B) Testing to prove
competency in at least the following topic areas:
(i) Equine anatomy;
(ii) Harm and potential side effects of
equine dentistry;
(iii)
Sterilization and disease control;
(iv) Legal limits of equine dental provider
practice, including supervision by a veterinarian.
(6) Document creation, retention,
and safe storage guidelines to maintain in the official program files for five
(5) years the following documents:
(A)
Documentation of examiner qualifications and examiner employment;
(B) Application records for each applicant
seeking certification;
(C)
Examination records for each applicant seeking certification;
(D) Certification records for each equine
dental provider certified; and
(E)
Examination materials, including copies of all test questions or areas of
examination, and answer keys or grading criteria, for all examinations given,
whether written and practical.
(e) After reviewing the application, board
staff may request additional information or may issue recommendations. The
organization seeking approval shall provide all additional requested
information and respond to all recommendations before the application is
eligible for consideration by the Board.
(f) After the application is submitted and
board staff has determined that the application is complete, a survey visit may
be conducted by a board representative prior to presentation to the Board.
Additional survey visits may be conducted as necessary by board representatives
until the Board grants full approval status. Following the survey visits, the
organization seeking approval will be given a list of identified deficiencies
and a specified time in which to correct the deficiencies. If the organization
seeking approval fails to correct the identified deficiencies within the
specified time, the application will be presented to the Board with the
uncorrected deficiencies noted.
(g)
The application shall be considered by the Board at a regularly scheduled
meeting of the Board. The Board may approve the application and grant approval
to the certification program, may defer action on the application, or may deny
further consideration of the application. In order to ensure success of newly
approved certification programs, the Board may, in its discretion, impose any
restrictions or conditions it deems appropriate and necessary.
(h) When the application is submitted, a fee
shall be assessed in accordance with §
577.15 of
this title (relating to Fee Schedule).
(i) An application without action for one (1)
calendar year shall be inactivated and a new application and fee will be
required.
(j) If the Board denies
an application, the organization seeking approval of a certification program
must wait a minimum of twelve (12) calendar months from the date of the denial
before submitting a new proposal to establish an equine dental provider
certification program.
(k) The
director of the board-approved equine dental provider certification program
shall notify the Board in writing of an intent to transfer the administrative
authority of the program.
(l)
Closing a board-approved equine dental provider certification program.
(1) When the decision to close a
board-approved equine dental provider certification program is made, the
director must notify the Board by submitting a written plan for closure which
includes:
(A) reason for closing the
program;
(B) date of intended
closure; and
(C) provisions made
for access to and safe storage of records, including application, test and
certification records for all individuals certified by the
organization.
(2) A
board-approved equine dental provider certification program will be deemed
closed when the program has not certified any equine dental providers for a
period of two (2) years.
(m) Factors Jeopardizing Certification
Program Approval Status.
(1) When a
certification program demonstrates non-compliance with Board requirements,
approval may be withdrawn, or the Board, in its discretion, may impose
restrictions or conditions as it deems appropriate and necessary. In addition
to imposing restrictions or conditions, the Board may also require monitoring
of the program.
(2) A change in
approval status, requirements for restrictions or conditions, or a monitoring
plan may be issued by the Board for any of the following reasons:
(A) Deficiencies in compliance with the board
rules;
(B) Non-compliance with the
certification program's stated philosophy/mission, program design,
objectives/outcomes, and/or policies;
(C) Failure to submit records and reports to
the Board within designated time frames;
(D) Failure to comply with board requirements
or to respond to board recommendations within the specified time;
(E) Accepting applications for certification
or certifying equine dental providers without resources to support the program,
including sufficient qualified examiners, and adequate testing
facilities;
(F) Other activities or
situations that demonstrate to the Board that a program is not meeting
requirements.
(3) A
program from which approval has been withdrawn may reapply for approval. A new
application may not be submitted to the Board until after at least twelve (12)
calendar months from the date of withdrawal of approval have elapsed.
(4) Notice of a program's approval status
shall be sent to the director of the program.
