SECTION 310:345-3-1. Classification of applicants

(a)   Registered Professional Sanitarian or Registered Professional Environmental Specialist. Applicants for registration as Registered Professional Sanitarians ("R.P.S.") or Registered Professional Environmental Specialists ("R.P.E.S.") shall:

(1)   have not less than two years of postgraduate, full-time experience working in the fields of public health or environment;

(2)   have a baccalaureate degree with a major in public health, environmental health, environmental science, physical science, natural science, biological science, agricultural science, or equivalent from an accredited college or university with at least thirty (30) semester hours of work in physical, natural and biological sciences, public health and/or environmental health;

(3)   pass an examination prescribed by the Council, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the principles of sanitation and of the physical, biological and environmental sciences; and

(4)   pay applicable examination and registration fees.

(b)   Sanitarian in Training or Environmental Specialist in Training. Applicants who meet all qualifications for registration as a sanitarian or environmental specialist, except the postgraduate experience requirement, may be granted an active, certificate of Sanitarian-In-Training ("SIT") or Environmental Specialist-In-Training ("ESIT") on approval of the Commissioner. Such certificate shall remain in effect for a period not to exceed 30 months after date of issue, unless revoked by the Commissioner, or the sanitarian-in-training or environmental specialist-in-training requests inactive registration status pursuant to Section 310:345-3-1(c). A sanitarian in training or environmental specialist in training certificate of registration shall not be renewed, except that for just cause shown, as determined by the Council, a certificate of registration in training may be reinstated as provided in 310:345-7-2.

(c)   Inactive Sanitarian-in-Training or Environmental Specialist-in-Training. Sanitarians-in-Training or Environmental Specialists-in-Training who are unable to maintain their employment to complete their two (2) years of postgraduate, work experience may request the Department to change their registration status to inactive in order to preserve the thirty (30) month limitation for an individual to register as a sanitarian-in-training or environmental specialist-in-training. Such inactive status shall not be granted if the individual's employment was terminated for acts or omissions which constitute a violation of this Chapter or the Oklahoma Sanitarian and Environmental Specialist Registration Act. An individual may only be granted inactive status as a sanitarian-in-training or environmental specialist-in-training one time for no more than one (1) year.

(d)   Life Registration Sanitarian or Life Registration Environmental Specialist. Life Registration Sanitarian or Life Registration Environmental Specialist is available to those individuals who are 62 years of age or older before January 1, in the application year, hold a valid current registration and have been registered for not less than 25 years at the time of application.

[Source: Amended at 11 Ok Reg 897, eff 12-17-93 (emergency); Amended at 11 Ok Reg 2631, eff 6-25-94; Amended at 20 Ok Reg 1655, eff 6-12-03; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 2014, eff 6-25-09]