Continuing Education for Optometrists Frequently Asked Questions

The healthcare professions are always changing. New medications and new procedures are always being developed. To give the best care to your patients and allow your practice to evolve with your profession, you will want to continue your education throughout your professional career.

Every optometrist who has been certified to use and prescribe therapeutic pharmaceutical agents and is registered to practice in New York State must take 36 contact hours of continuing education during each three-year registration period to be eligible for continued certification in the use of therapeutic pharmaceutical agents. Optometrists who do not have these certifications/privileges are not required to complete continuing education.

Each New York State license is six digits long. If you have prescribing privileges, the letters "U" and/or "V" would precede your license number. The letter "U" is used to designate the phase one therapeutic pharmaceutical agent privilege. The letter "V" is used to designate the phase two therapeutic pharmaceutical agent privilege. The order of the letters does not matter.

Although it is recommended that all optometrists take continuing education in order to keep abreast of changes in the practice of optometry, it is not required by law.

Remember that all registered optometrists practicing in New York State, regardless of what privileges he or she has, must complete a State approved infection control course every 4 years. A list of approved providers can be found on the Office of the Professions' Web site.

Yes. Licensees are required to complete continuing education during every registration period during which they are certified to use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents.

No. Registration periods are adjusted so that renewals occur during the licensee's birth month. When this happens, you can calculate how many continuing education hours you are required to complete. To do this, count the length of the registration in months and complete one hour of approved continuing education for each month of the registration period. For example, if you are issued a registration effective 7/1/05 and it expires 10/31/07, this registration is for 28 months and you would need to complete 28 hours of continuing education.

No. If you receive your TPA certification after your registration period begins, the minimum number of hours of continuing education required will be equal to one hour of continuing education per month of certified registration. Hours and months are counted in whole units; therefore, any part of a month in which you are TPA certified will count as one month. For example, if you receive your TPA certification on 12/20/05 and your registration expires 5/30/06, you will be required to complete a minimum of six hours of continuing education.

No. To reactivate your New York State registration, you will need to request a delayed registration application from the Registration Unit and submit it along with your registration fee.

Yes. To reactivate your New York State registration you will need to complete the amount of continuing education required for a normal triennial registration period. Since you are actively practicing your profession, you will be able to count continuing education credits earned up to 36 months prior to the month in which you reactivate your registration.

Yes. To reactivate your New York State registration you will need to complete the amount of continuing education required for a normal triennial registration period. Since you are not actively practicing your profession, you will only be able to count continuing education credits earned up to 12 months prior to the month in which you reactivate your registration.

An hour of continuing education is one contact hour of at least 50 minutes in duration. Most continuing education providers give credit in hours; however, you may see credit given in continuing education units.

One continuing education unit (CEU) equals 10 contact hours. Therefore, .1 CEU equals one contact hour, .2 CEUs equals two contact hours, .3 CEUs equals three contact hours, and so on.

Individuals completing college-level course work in appropriate subjects at accredited colleges of optometry should note that one semester hour equals 15 contact hours.

A residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education may be counted for up to 36 hours of continuing education for the registration period during which the residency is completed.

No. Continuing education hours can not be carried over from one registration period to the next. The hours must be completed between the effective date and expiration date for the registration period for which they will be applied.

No. You may complete the hours any time during the three-year registration period as long as you have completed the required hours prior to the expiration date of your registration. However, we recommend that you complete courses each year so you are sure to have them completed before it is time to reregister.

All courses taken to meet the continuing education requirement must be in appropriate subject areas offered by approved sponsors.

Appropriate subject areas include pharmacology and ocular disease. Courses in practice management, accounting, finance, statistics, and how to use the Internet are NOT ACCEPTABLE.

Yes, a course in ocular disease may include topics directly related to procedures with side-effects that may cause ocular disorders. This may include ocular surgery as well as contact lens fitting.

If you are unsure whether a course you would like to take will meet the continuing education requirement, feel free to contact the Optometry Board by phone at 518-474-3817, ext. 591 or by e-mail at optombd@nysed.gov.

No. Optometrists must complete at least three-quarters of their continuing education hours through "live courses" (please see question 18 for the definition of live courses). The balance of the remaining hours may be completed through the appropriate self-study courses.

Live courses are those in which you are able to interact with the instructor. For example: a live lecture; a webinar, a telecourse or teleconference in which you and the instructor can speak directly with each other; a course in which you and other practitioners discuss a taped presentation with a facilitator's assistance; a computerized course in which you are able to interact directly with the instructor. On the other hand, a televised lecture with no means of direct interaction would not be acceptable as a live course even if it is a live telecast.

All sponsors of continuing education for New York State licensed optometrists must receive advanced approval from the New York State Education Department.

To help facilitate the approval process, the Department has pre-approved the following sponsors of continuing education:

• accredited colleges of optometry;
• Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) approved coursework;
• The American Academy of Optometry;
• The American Optometric Association;
• state societies (but not chapters);and
• continuing medical education (CME) approved by the American Medical Association.

If you are considering a course not offered by one of the providers in the above listing, please notify the provider that they may request prior approval of their course by completing  Form 1-SBO (17 KB) and submitting it by mail to the New York State Board for Optometry, 89 Washington Avenue, Second Floor West, Albany, NY 12234-1000 or by fax 518-473-0567.

If you are unsure whether a sponsor offering a continuing education program is approved, feel free to contact the Optometry Board by phone at 518-474-3817, ext. 591, by fax at 518-473-0567, or by e-mail at optombd@nysed.gov.

You are required to keep verification of attendance for each course you complete for at least 6 years from the date of completion. Verification should include the following items:

• title of the course;
• number of hours completed*;
• the sponsor's name*;
• the location the course was taken;
• the date of the course; and
• verification by the sponsor of your attendance.

All of these items are likely to be provided on a certificate of completion from the sponsor.

* For COPE approved courses, the COPE number may be used in lieu of the number of hours completed and sponsor's name.

Not unless you are requested to do so by the Department. New York State Education Law requires that you submit evidence of completion at the time of your renewal. In most instances, such evidence will consist of your certification on the registration renewal document that you have completed the required continuing education. Each month, a number of licensees will be selected randomly for audit of compliance with the continuing education requirements. If you are selected for audit, you will be required to submit documentation of your continuing education.

You may be subject to disciplinary proceedings for professional misconduct. According to Section 29.1 of the Rules of the Board of Regents, willful or grossly negligent failure to comply with substantial provisions of Federal, State or local laws, rules or regulations governing the practice of the profession is unprofessional conduct. Penalties may include censure and reprimand, a fine and/or suspension or revocation of your license to practice in New York State.

You may request that your certification to prescribe therapeutic pharmaceutical agents be suspended until you have met the requirement. If the reason for non-compliance is due to reasons of health, certified by a physician or extended active duty with the armed forces of the United States, please contact the Board office at the address below.

Contact the State Board for Optometry, New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, 89 Washington Avenue, Second Floor West, Albany, New York 12234-1000, telephone 518-474-3817 ext. 591, fax 518-473-0567, e-mail optombd@nysed.gov.