The goal of continuing competency is to encourage the lifetime professional development of the licensed denturist, and to enhance the clinical and overall skills needed to protect the health and safety of all patients.

(1) A licensed denturist shall:

(a) Complete and attest to the completion of a minimum of fifteen clock hours of continuing competency every year as a part of their annual license renewal requirement; and

(b) Comply with the requirements of chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 7.

(2) The board:

(a) May randomly audit up to twenty-five percent of licensed denturists annually for compliance.

(b) Does not authorize or approve specific continuing competency courses.

(3) Continuing competency must contribute to the professional knowledge and development of the licensed denturist or enhance services provided to patients.

(4) A denturist shall complete continuing competency in one or more of the following categories:

(a) Education courses relating to the practice of denturism;

(b) Emergency management or advanced cardiac life support (ACLS);

(c) Health care provider basic life support (BLS);

(d) Infection control and federal and state safety standards;

(e) Ethics;

(f) Patient care education including risk management, methods of health delivery, multicultural, and suicide prevention education;

(g) Patient communication;

(h) Implantology (restoring implants);

(i) Partial denture construction and design;

(j) Washington state denturist jurisprudence exam, for a maximum of two hours every three years;

(k) Practice management and billing practices, for a maximum of five hours yearly.

(5) A denturist shall use the following activities to complete continuing competency hours:

(a) Attendance at a local, state, national, or international continuing competency courses, live interactive webinar and denturist study clubs, for a maximum of eight hours yearly;

(b) Self-study by various means, relevant to denturism, without an instructor present:

(i) Self-study can be continuing education provided online or through the mail provided by a continuing competency provider, up to a maximum of five hours yearly;

(ii) Self-study can be reading a book that contributes to the professional knowledge and development of the licensed denturist, or enhance services provided to patients. A two-page synopsis of what was learned written by the licensed denturist is required to be granted two hours of continuing competency for each book and synopsis, up to a maximum of four hours yearly.

(c) Teaching, presenting, or lecturing in a course, only if the presentation or lecture is created or authored by the denturist claiming the continuing competency hours, up to a maximum of five hours yearly;

(d) Direct clinical supervision of denturist students up to a maximum of five hours yearly;

(e) Denturist licensure examinations, examination standardization and calibration workshops, clinical examination administration, or serving on a denturist professional board or association up to a maximum of ten hours yearly;

(f) Publishing a paper in a peer review journal up to a maximum of five hours yearly the year the paper is published; and

(g) Provision of clinical denturist patient care services in a documented volunteer capacity, up to a maximum of five hours yearly.

(6) The board may not accept any claim of credit for a continuing competency course that does not meet the requirements of subsection (4) or (5) of this section.

(7) Proof of continuing competency is a certificate of completion, letter, transcripts, or other documentation verifying or confirming attendance or completion of continuing competency hours. Documentation must be from the organization that provided the activity, except in subsection (5)(b)(ii) of this section, and must contain at least the following:

(a) Date of attendance or completion;

(b) Name of licensed denturist;

(c) Hours earned; and

(d) Course title or subject.

(8) Upon showing good cause by the denturist in writing, the board may waive the denturist from any, all, or part of the continuing competency requirements in this chapter or may grant additional time for the denturist to complete the requirements. Good cause includes, but is not limited to:

(a) Illness;

(b) Medical necessity or family emergency;

(c) Hardship to practice; or

(d) Other extenuating circumstances.