Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Content. This section establishes the
continuing education requirements that a licensed medical physicist must
complete biennially to maintain licensure. These requirements are intended to
maintain and improve the quality of professional services in medical physics
provided to the public, to keep the licensed medical physicist knowledgeable of
current research, techniques, and practice, and to provide other resources
which will improve skill and competence in the practice of medical
physics.
(b) General. Continuing
education requirements for license renewal shall be fulfilled biennially on or
before the expiration of the license.
(c) Hour requirements for continuing
education. A licensee must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education
acceptable to the board.
(1) A contact hour
shall be defined as 50 minutes of attendance and participation.
(2) A licensed medical physicist must
complete acceptable continuing education as identified in subsection (d) of
this section.
(3) A licensed
medical physicist shall be presumed to have complied with this section if in
the preceding 24 months the licensee becomes board certified or recertified by
the American Board of Radiology (ABR), American Board of Medical Physics
(ABMP), American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), or American
Board of Health Physics (ABHP).
(d) Types of acceptable continuing education.
Continuing education shall be acceptable if the experience falls into one or
more of the following categories.
(1)
Attendance at courses, conferences, seminars or scientific sessions sponsored
by the following national or regional organizations: American Association of
Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), American College of Medical Physics (ACMP),
American College of Radiology (ACR), Health Physics Society (HPS), Society of
Nuclear Medicine (SNM), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), American
Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), or other professional
organizations acceptable to the board;
(2) Participation in conferences sponsored by
regulatory organizations or other organizations acceptable to the board;
or
(3) Participation in medical
physics related courses, refresher courses, conferences, and seminars sponsored
by state and private universities that have an accredited graduate medical
physics program.
(4) Participation
in a program of study in medical physics that is accredited by the American
Association of Physicists in Medicine Commission on Accreditation of Medical
Physicist Education Programs.
(5)
Participation in a course of study from an accredited college or university in
physics, medical physics, biophysics, radiological physics, medical health
physics or nuclear engineering of other course of study acceptable to the
board.
(6) Participation in a short
course of study relating to basic and/or applied sciences in
medicine.
(7) Participation in a
course of study that enhances the practice of medical physics.
(e) Reporting of continuing
education. The licensee shall maintain documentation of continuing education.
(1) The board will select, at the time of
license renewal, a random sample of licensed medical physicists to verify
compliance with the continuing education requirements. The licensed medical
physicists selected in the random sample shall submit to the board
documentation of participation in and completion of acceptable continuing
education and shall include:
(A) a
certificate of completion or a certificate of attendance signed by the
sponsoring organization; or
(B) a
letter on letterhead of the sponsoring organization verifying attendance;
or
(C) an official continuing
education validation form of the sponsoring organization accompanied by a
brochure, agenda, program, or other applicable information indicating content
of the program; or
(D) evidence of
registration and attendance at a scientific meeting; and
(E) any additional information or
documentation deemed necessary by the board to verify the licensed medical
physicist's compliance with the continuing education requirements.
(2) The department shall review
the documentation submitted to verify compliance with the continuing education
requirements, and notify the licensed medical physicist of the
results.
(3) If the department
determines that the licensed medical physicist failed to successfully complete
the continuing education requirements or failed to submit the required
documentation, disciplinary action may be taken against the licensee in
accordance with §
601.16(c)
of this title (relating to Violations, Complaints, and Subsequent
Actions).
(4) In the alternative, a
licensed medical physicist may request an exemption as set out in subsection
(g) of this section.
(f)
A licensed medical physicist who has failed to complete the requirements for
continuing education as specified in subsection (b) of this section shall
return the license to the department and shall not represent himself or herself
as a medical physicist in any manner. The person may renew the license or
reapply for a new license in accordance with §
601.11
of this title (relating to License Renewal).
(g) Exemptions. The board will consider
granting an exemption from the continuing education requirement on a
case-by-case basis if:
(1) A licensee shows
reasons of health, certified by a licensed physician, that prevent compliance
with the continuing education requirement for the entire renewal period. The
licensee must complete and forward to the board a sworn affidavit and provide
documentation that clearly establishes the period of disability and resulting
physical limitations;
(2) A
licensee is called to or is on active duty with the armed forces of the United
States. The licensee must file a copy of orders to active military duty with
the board; or
(3) A licensee
submits proof of attendance as a student in an approved academic
program.
