24 Del. Admin. Code § 2100-2.0

Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 5, November 1, 2024

Section 2100-2.0 - Internship/Temporary Licensee

2.1 An internship is a course of study in which applicants receive part of their clinical training in a Board approved private practice setting in Delaware, or other Board approved setting, under the supervision of a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist. An active, licensed Optometrist or Ophthalmologist may act as a supervisor. Any applicant's participation in such an internship program must be approved by the Board and is subject to the following terms and conditions:

2.1.1 A letter from the practitioner with whom the applicant will be interning stating the goals, duties and the number of hours the applicant will be working.

2.1.2 Each applicant must provide the name and address of the supervisor and the dates of the internship for approval by the Board before the internship may begin provided that, in the event an applicant has made a good faith effort to submit all necessary licensure materials for approval of the internship, and the Board is unable to meet to review said licensure materials the Board may approve said internship starting as of the date when the applicant has submitted all licensure materials.

2.1.3 A letter must be received by the Board from the supervisor verifying the completion of the internship.

2.1.4 For purposes of this Section and 29 Del.C. § 2110, the term "duration" shall be defined as "a period of no less than 6 months and no greater than the period ending on the date of the next Board meeting following the end of the 6 month period." No intern may practice on a temporary license beyond the duration of the internship.

2.2 Full-time: minimum of 35 hours per week.

2.3 All supervisors must supervise the interns on a one-to-one basis whenever an applicant performs a task that constitutes the practice of optometry. No supervisor may be a supervisor for more than one intern, or student extern, during the period of the internship or externship.

2.4 All acts that constitute the practice of optometry under 24 Del.C. § 2101(a) may be performed by the intern only under the following conditions:

2.4.1 The supervisor shall be on the premises and immediately available for supervision at all times;

2.4.2 All intern evaluations of any patient shall be reviewed by the supervisor prior to final determination of the patient's case before the patient leaves the premises; and

2.4.3 A supervisor shall at all times effectively supervise and direct the intern.

2.5 A violation of any of the conditions enumerated in this rule may be grounds for the Board to revoke its approval of an internship program. The Board may also revoke its approval of an internship program if it determines that either the supervising optometrist or the intern has engaged in any conduct described by 24 Del.C. § 2113(a). Furthermore, any violation of the terms of this rule by a supervising optometrist who is a licensed optometrist shall be considered unprofessional conduct and a violation of 24 Del.C. § 2113(a)(7).

24 Del. Admin. Code § 2100-2.0

2 DE Reg 85 (05/01/99)
7 DE Reg. 912 (01/01/04)
8 DE Reg. 536 (10/01/04)
8 DE Reg. 1697 (06/01/05)
19 DE Reg. 204 (9/1/2015)
27 DE Reg. 620 (2/1/2024) (Final)