4751-1-13. Continuing education

(A) As required in rule 4751-1-10 of the Administrative Code, nursing home administrators shall complete a minimum of twenty clock hours of approved continuing education each year in the fifteen-month period preceding renewal of the registration of the nursing home administrator license.

(1) An unlimited number of hours of continuing education may be completed from courses offered by preferred or certified continuing education training agencies or by NAB, with the exception of self-study courses. Preferred providers are identified by a BELTSS approval number with the letter "P" in the middle. Certified providers are identified by a BELTSS approval number with the letter "C" in the middle.

(2) The board, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of hours of self-study instruction which shall qualify to fulfill an administrator's annual requirement for continuing education. As used in this paragraph, "self-study instruction" means any course of instruction provided through online, self-study, live or recorded webinars, or other learning that is not provided in a classroom setting. Self-study courses are identified by a BELTSS approval number with an "SS" in the middle. Self-study hours are limited to ten per renewal, with the exception of HSE hours.

(3) NAB-approved courses are identified with an "in" or a "dl." An "in" means the continuing education occurred in an "in-person" or classroom setting. A "dl" means the continuing education is a self-study, webinar, or "distance learning."

(4) In the case of both NAB and BELTSS approval for a course, the BELTSS approval is primary for purposes of determining status (self-study, etc.) and the number of continuing education credits accepted by the board.

(5) Teaching any course for approved continuing education, the core of knowledge, or a college course may also be used to meet the continuing education requirement. A college course must be taught at an accredited college or university and must apply to the practice of nursing home administration, as defined in rule 4751-1-02 of the Administrative Code. A letter or brochure from the course provider, or a letter from a university official, is required as poof of teaching the course.

(6) Continuing education hours may be granted for successfully serving as a preceptor to an administrator-in-training. The licensed nursing home administrator may earn six continuing education hours for precepting upon the AIT's successful completion of the program and must serve as the preceptor for the entire internship period to qualify. Only six precepting credits may be earned and used on each annual renewal. Precepting credit hours are considered in-person hours. Credits shall be reported in the renewal system with the administrator-in-training's completed final monthly report serving as proof of successfully completing the precepting period or a confirming letter form the university for direct college students.

(B) Continuing education credit prior to the last quarter of the previous registration anniversary year may not be accumulated from year to year.

(C) Continuing education courses may not be "split" between renewal periods. All of the hours granted for a course must be used on the same renewal.

(D) Certificates of attendance at continuing education courses, or other substantiating documentation, must be submitted by the nursing home administrator and be attached to the application for annual renewal of registration. An exact copy of the certificate or other documentation is acceptable. No documents will be returned. Online renewals require documents to be uploaded with the courses being declared.

(E) The board shall not accept continuing education credits toward the completion of a course or program that is not NAB-approved or BELTSS-approved, except that if an Ohio licensee lives in and/or practices in another state, the licensee may use that state's board-approved or state-healthcare-association-approved continuing education for license renewal. The BELTSS-established limit on the number of self-study hours also applies to these renewals.

(F) The board requires that participants receive only full credit for attending a program. Partial credit may not be given to those attending only part of a program. If the provider grants credit for individual sessions as part of a larger conference or convention, the board shall accept these credits.

(G) College courses may be used to meet the continuing education requirement provided that all the following conditions are met:

(1) The course was taken at an accredited college or university, as defined in rule 4751-1-02 of the Administrative Code.

(2) The course relates to the practice of nursing home administration.

(3) A grade of "C" or better was earned for the course.

(4) An official transcript is sent to the board directly from the college or university.

(5) A syllabus is provided along with the renewal application.

(6) The CE conversion rate is ten continuing education hours for every one hour of quarter credit and fifteen continuing education hours for every one hour of semester credit.

(H) The board, in its own discretion, may waive or extend the continuing education requirement upon application for good cause. The board's determination to waive or extend the continuing education requirement is final.

Effective: 1/1/2020
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 10/15/2019 and 01/01/2025
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4751.04 ; 42 U.S.C. 1396g(c)(1); 42 C.F.R. 431.707
Rule Amplifies: 4751.381, 4751.201, 4751.24, 4751.26 ; 42 U.S.C. 1396g(c)(1); 42 C.F.R. 431.707, 431.708, 431.714
Prior Effective Dates: 01/01/1977, 10/16/1983, 04/29/2004, 06/01/2015, 05/13/2018, 02/17/2019