SECTION 38:10-13-7. Providers of Continuing Education

  In order to qualify and be approved for Approved Continuing Education Provider status by the Board, or to offer single programs for OBLADC continuing education credit, the Provider must satisfy the following requirements.

(1)   Continuing education status shall be approved prior to presenting continuing education programs. When a provider number is necessary, any continuing education event(s) sponsored or provided prior to the date a provider number is issued under this rule shall not be granted continuing education credit.

(2)   Continuing education provider status shall be granted to continuing education providers who satisfy the following requirements:

(A)   Provide the Board with one sample continuing education program containing a detailed agenda specifying content and time frames for instruction which has been designed or approved by the current continuing education director and meets all of the following criteria:

(i)   Is a course, seminar, workshop, or institute that is relevant to, and focuses on the practice of alcohol and drug counseling or other clinical, administration, or generalist practice in the behavioral health field.

(ii)   Has stated learning objectives and is of sufficient duration to present a topic in depth and detail to accomplish these objectives.

(iii)   Is appropriate for the purposes of furthering and maintaining the skills or knowledge of alcohol and drug counselors.

(iv)   The sample program must identify the number of continuing education hours that will be earned. One continuing education hour is defined as one clock hour (60 minutes) of actual uninterrupted instruction.

(v)   Is instructed/presented by a person who meets at least one of the following criteria:

(I)   LADC/CADC or other person licensed or certified by other counselor professions.

(II)   Licensed or certified member of a non-counseling field if the content of the program is counselor related and falls within the presenter's area of training.

(B)   Provide the Board a sample program evaluation form.

(C)   Provide the Board a sample of the documentation of completion.

(D)   Provide the Board with the name, address and daytime telephone number of a person designated by the organization to act as the continuing education director.

(E)   Remit the appropriate non-refundable continuing education provider application fee of $200. Such fee shall be required for each license period during which the provider seeks Board approval.

(F)   The current continuing education director must sign and abide by a written agreement to the following:

(i)   Ensure that each program to be presented or approved by the provider for continuing education credit for CADC/LADC satisfies the requirements of the Continuing Education rules of the Board.

(ii)   Provide each participant who completes a program with documentation verifying that the program has been completed. The documentation shall contain the participant's name, provider's name and number, title of program, date and place of the program, number of hours of continuing education credits earned, and the signature of the sponsor or its representative.

(iii)   Provide a mechanism for evaluation of the program by participants.

(iv)   Notify the Board within ten days of any change in continuing education director, mailing address, or telephone number.

(v)   Ensure that all promotional material for each program intended for CADC/LADCs contains in a conspicuous place the complete provider number assigned by the Board, the specific program objectives, and speaker/presenter's credentials.

(vi)   The Board requests that the following statement be placed on the "Certificate of Attendance" to show Board approval. Example: "OBLADC Provider Number ." The provider will be issued a number when provider status is approved and that number is to be placed in the blank space.

(G)   Comply with all audit requests within 21 days of receipt of such requests from the Board.

(3)   Providers shall maintain records of each course offered for three (3) years following each licensure period during which the course was offered. Course records shall include a course outline that reflects its educational objectives, the presenter's name, the presenter's curriculum vitae, the date and location of the course, participant's evaluations of the course, the hours of continuing education credit awarded to each participant and a roster of participants by name and license number.

(4)   An approved sponsor may subcontract with individuals to provide continuing education programs. The sponsor must insure that the subcontractor meets all requirements of this section.

(5)   The sponsor shall be responsible for assuring that no licensee receives continuing education credit for time not actually spent attending the program.

(6)   Upon the failure of a sponsor to comply with any of the requirements of this section, the Board, after notice to the sponsor, may revoke the sponsor's approval status.

(7)   The Board may evaluate any approved sponsor or applicant at any time to ensure compliance with requirements of this section.

(8)   The Board may deny continuing education provider status to any applicant who submits false, misleading or deceptive information or documentation to the Board.

(9)   The Board may rescind the provider status or reject individual programs given by a provider if the provider disseminated any false or misleading information in connection with the continuing education programs or of the provider failed to conform to and abide by the written agreement and rules of the Board.

(10)   Complaints regarding continuing education programs offered by approved providers may be submitted in writing to the Board office.

(11)   Reapproval of Continuing Education Providers

(A)   Approval of continuing education providership is for the fiscal year during which approval or reapproval was given. If reapproval is not sought and granted, the continuing education approved provider status automatically ends.

(B)   It is the responsibility of the continuing education provider to request annual reapproval of the provider status by submitting a new application on the application form provided by the Board.

(12)   Activities Unacceptable as Continuing Education. The Board will not give credit hours for:

(A)   Education incidental to the regular professional activities of an alcohol and drug counselor, such as learning occurring from experience or research.

(B)   Organizational activity such as serving on committees or councils or as an officer in a professional organization.

(C)   Non-counseling content courses not directly related to enhancement of alcohol or drug counselor skills or performance as an alcohol or drug counselor.

(D)   Staff orientation, administrative staff meetings, case management meetings and training specifically related to policies and procedures of an agency may not be counted.

(E)   Book reports or critiques of professional journal articles.

(13)   Counselor's Responsibility Regarding Continuing Education

(A)   It is the counselor's responsibility to determine if a workshop is applicable and appropriate to his/her professional development as an alcohol and drug counselor.

(B)   If a counselor submits documentation for training that is not clearly identifiable as alcohol and drug counselor continuing or behavioral health education, the Board will request a written description of the training and how it applies to the individual's professional development as an alcohol and drug counselor. If the Board determines that the training cannot be considered alcohol and drug counselor or behavioral health continuing education, the individual will be given sixty (60) days to replace the hours not allowed. Those hours will be considered replacement hours and cannot be counted during the next licensure period.

(C)   Continuing education hours that are clearly not alcohol and drug counseling or behavioral health related will be unacceptable and the individual will not be given time to replace those hours.

(14)   Counselor Submission of Continuing Education Requests

(A)   If an alcohol and drug counselor attends or plans to attend a course that is not provided by an Approved Continuing Education Provider, the individual may submit a single request for approval of the continuing education program.

(B)   To qualify for approval, the individual will be required to submit:

(i)   A complete application for continuing education form on the application form provided by the Board.

(ii)   Biographical information and qualifications on the presenter(s).

(iii)   Program schedules.

(iv)   Descriptions and objectives of each of the workshops.

(v)   A $25 non-refundable individual continuing education application fee.

(C)   If the application meets the Board requirements for approval, the approval status shall apply only to the individual applicant. Each applicant requesting approval for a course that is not provided by an Approved Continuing Education Provider, must submit a separate application form, related documents, and fee.

(D)   Submission of an application for continuing education program approval and related documents is not a guarantee of approval.

[Source: Added at 35 Ok Reg 782, eff 9-14-18]