Minnesota LegislatureOffice of the Revisor of Statutes
Minnesota Administrative Rules
8740.0285 CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS.
Subpart 1.
Continuing education requirements.
At the time of application for license renewal, a licensee shall provide evidence satisfactory to the board that the licensee has completed 30 hours of acceptable continuing education during the licensee's current renewal cycle. If a licensee's renewal cycle is prorated to be less or greater than 24 months, then the required number of hours of acceptable continuing education must be prorated accordingly. The licensee may attend continuing education programs or complete continuing education activities which have been preapproved by the board or other programs or activities that meet the requirements of this part.
Subp. 4.
Acceptable content areas.
A.
Continuing education programs or activities must address at least one of the following content areas:
(1)
theories and concepts of human behavior and the social environment as used in social work practice;
B.
In determining whether the content of a program or activity is acceptable continuing education, the board may consider the presenter's qualifications and knowledge of social work practice and the intended audience for the program or activity.
Subp. 5.
Unacceptable content areas.
Programs or activities relating to marketing, business practices, personal development, time management, and procedural issues are not acceptable content areas. Supervision or consultation provided or received does not constitute continuing education.
Subp. 6.
Continuing education programs and activities.
Continuing education may be obtained through the following programs or activities, provided the content is in at least one of the areas listed in subpart 4:
A.
Academic course work:
(2)
graduate and undergraduate courses from a university, college, or other institution of higher education accredited by a national or regional accrediting body; and
(3)
up to ten hours of self study, including correspondence work, distance learning, or televised or audiovisual courses.
D.
Individual activities such as publications of professional articles, course or conference presentations, or research leading to publication or presentation, or independent study. No more than ten hours from this category are acceptable as continuing education for each renewal cycle.
Subp. 7.
Continuing education hours.
Continuing education hours are determined according to items A to C.
A.
"One continuing education hour" means 60 minutes containing a minimum of 50 minutes of uninterrupted learning.
B.
One semester credit equals 15 continuing education hours. One quarter credit equals ten continuing education hours. Credit for auditing a course must be awarded up to the actual clock hours attended not to exceed the academic credit.
C.
Licensees presenting a continuing education program will be credited with two continuing education hours of research time for every hour of a presentation. Research time may apply only once regardless of the number of times the presentation is made. The actual presentation of the continuing education program will not apply toward the requirement.
Subp. 8.
Documentation of continuing education hours.
A.
A licensee must report completion of continuing education requirements at the time of application for license renewal or at the time of application for reactivation of a license on inactive status or of an emeritus license by recording the following information in a form specified by the board:
B.
The board may grant a licensee a variance to the continuing education requirements when a licensee demonstrates an inability to complete the required number of acceptable continuing education hours by the expiration date of the license or upon applying for the reactivation of a license on inactive status or of an emeritus license. A variance may allow the licensee additional time, as determined by the board, to complete the required number of acceptable continuing education hours, but it may not allow the licensee to complete less than the required number of acceptable continuing education hours.
C.
Licensees must maintain the following documentation of their participation in continuing education programs or activities:
(1)
for academic coursework at an accredited social work program or at another university, college, or other institution of higher education accredited by a national or regional accrediting body, a copy of the transcript demonstrating successful completion;
(2)
for workshops, institutes, and public or private agency staff development programs, under subpart 6, items B and C, a copy of a certificate of attendance issued by the presenter or sponsor which states the name, date, and number of hours of the workshop, institute, or program and the name of the licensee, or an affidavit signed by the presenter or sponsor verifying that the licensee attended the workshop, institute, or program and the date and hours of the workshop, institute, or program which the licensee attended;
(3)
for individual activities under subpart 6, item D, a copy of the program for the lecture or presentation, a notice of publication of the written material, or other material that may be requested by the board; and
(4)
for independent study under subpart 6, item D, a written summary of the study, including the topic studied and the title and author of resources or books used in informal study; a statement as to the applicability of the study to the acceptable content areas in subpart 4; the time spent in informal study; and the time period during which the study was done.
D.
The board may audit a sample of applications for license renewal for compliance with the continuing education requirements of this part. A licensee being audited by the board must provide verification of the required number of acceptable continuing education hours, by submitting the appropriate documentation of the programs or activities reported. Licensees must keep appropriate documentation of the programs or activities reported for one year following the expiration date of a license.
Subp. 10.
Sponsor request for preapproval of continuing education programs.
A.
A person or entity sponsoring a continuing education program may request the board to decide in advance of the program whether the program constitutes acceptable continuing education by submitting the following information:
(1)
a statement of the objectives and goals of the program, including the knowledge and skills each participant is expected to gain upon completion;
(4)
a listing of the qualifications of each instructor as evidence of the instructor's current knowledge and skill in the program or course subject.
B.
The request for approval of a program must be submitted to the board at least 45 days before the date of the program with the appropriate fee. The board's approval of a program is valid for one year from the date of approval provided there is no substantive change in the program. Sponsors of approved programs shall retain a list of participants for three years following the date of the program.
C.
The board shall issue a decision on the request for approval in advance of the date of the program. A sponsor of a program may not advertise that the program has been approved by the board until receipt of the board's written decision. The board's decision is not subject to judicial or administrative review.
D.
The board may revoke or suspend approval of a program, or refuse to approve a program upon reapplication, if the board finds that the program fails to conform in any manner to the materials submitted by the sponsor in its request for approval. The board's decision is not subject to judicial or administrative review.
History:
15 SR 1699; 23 SR 1382
Published Electronically:
September 24, 2003
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes