Pennsylvania Code › Title 28 - HEALTH AND SAFETY › Part III - Prevention of Diseases › Chapter 25 - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, DRUGS, DEVICES AND COSMETICS › Subchapter B - HEARING AID SALES AND REGISTRATION › Section 25.218 - Credit for continuing education

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
Credit hour
. A hearing aid fitter shall receive 1 hour of
				  credit for each 50 minutes of instruction in a continuing education program
				  presented in a classroom setting. Credit may not be given if attendance or
				  other participation in the program is not adequate to meet the educational
				  objectives of the program as determined by the person offering the program. For
				  completing a continuing education program that is not presented in a classroom
				  setting, the hearing aid fitter shall receive the number of credit hours
				  assigned to the program by the Department.
(b)
Program completion
. A
				  hearing aid fitter shall receive no credit for a continuing education program
				  not completed, as evidenced by satisfaction of the check-in/check-out process
				  for a continuing education program presented in a classroom setting and the
				  continuing education report verifying that the hearing aid fitter completed the
				  program, both of which are submitted to the Department by the person who
				  offered the program. The program shall also not be considered completed if the
				  hearing aid fitter does not satisfy other program completion requirements
				  imposed by this subchapter and the continuing education provider.
(c)
Continuing education credit for
				  instruction
. A hearing aid fitter shall receive credit equal to the
				  number of hours served as an instructor in a continuing education program
				  approved by the Department, or in a program that satisfies requirements for
				  initial certification as a hearing aid fitter, except that only half of the
				  credit hours necessary for renewal of a hearing aid fitter's registration
				  certificate may be obtained through serving as an instructor. The remaining
				  credits necessary to renew a certificate shall be obtained through attendance
				  at continuing education programs.
(d)
Repeat completion or teaching of
				  a continuing education program
. The Department will not accept more
				  than one completion or teaching of a continuing education program for credit
				  toward renewal of a fitter's registration certificate, but will accept a
				  subsequent completion or teaching of the same continuing education program for
				  a subsequent renewal of a fitter's registration certificate.
(e)
Continuing education credit
				  through endorsement
. A hearing aid fitter who attends or teaches a
				  continuing education program offered outside this Commonwealth may apply to the
				  Department to receive credit for the program. The hearing aid fitter shall have
				  the burden of demonstrating to the Department that the course meets standards
				  substantially equivalent to the standards imposed in this subchapter. The
				  Department will assign credit to the program, including the possibility of no
				  credit or partial credit, based upon considerations of whether the program
				  bears entirely upon appropriate subject matter and whether the method of
				  presenting the program meets standards substantially equivalent to those
				  prescribed in this subchapter.
(f)
Continuing education credit assigned to self-study courses
.
				  Credit may be sought from the Department for a self-study continuing education
				  program. The hearing aid fitter shall submit an application to the Department
				  to approve the self-study program for credit before commencing the program and
				  shall supply the Department with the materials the Department requests to
				  conduct the evaluation, which may include any of the materials used in the
				  course. The Department will assign credit to the program based upon
				  considerations of whether the program addresses appropriate subject matter and
				  whether the method of completing the program meets standards substantially
				  equivalent to those prescribed in this subchapter. The Department may require
				  modifications to the proposed self-study as a precondition to approving it for
				  credit. If the materials are unavailable to the fitter prior to taking the
				  course, the fitter may apply to the Department for credit after completing it.
				  However, the Department reserves the right to disapprove the course for credit
				  after it has been completed if it does not meet the standards prescribed in
				  this subchapter.
(g)
Continuing education credit assigned to courses not presented in a
				  classroom setting
. A hearing aid fitter shall be awarded credit for
				  completing a continuing education program without the hearing aid fitter
				  physically attending the program in a classroom setting, provided the program
				  has been approved by the Department for credit when presented in that
				  manner.
(h)
Resolution of
				  discrepancies
. The Department will resolve all discrepancies between
				  the number of continuing education credits reported and the number of
				  continuing education credits a hearing aid fitter alleges to have earned. To
				  help resolve disputes, the hearing aid fitter should retain the original
				  certificate of completion of a continuing education program if a certificate of
				  completion has been received by the hearing aid fitter.