24 Del. Admin. Code § 3600-6.0

Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 3, September 1, 2024

Section 3600-6.0 - Continuing Education

6.1 Preamble

6.1.1 In order to protect the general public and ensure a high standard of integrity, skills and knowledge in the practice of geology, the following continuing education requirements are established by the Board in accordance with 24 Del.C. § 3606(a)(8).

6.1.2 Regular participation in technical, professional and ethical training, and participation in professional and technical organizations assures that professional geologists are exposed to new ideas and keep their skills current. The overriding consideration in determining if a specific program or activity qualifies as continuing education shall be that it is a means to update and/or expand the professional's knowledge and skills in the practice of geology beyond their normal job-related activities. The requirement that all professional geologists must participate in such activities is meant to further safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the public.

6.2 The Board will require continuing education as a condition of license renewal.

6.2.1 Proof of continuing education is satisfied with an attestation by the licensee that he or she has satisfied the Requirement of Section 6.0.

6.2.2 Renewal and attestation shall be completed electronically.

6.2.3 Licensees selected for random audit will be required to supplement the attestation with attendance verification pursuant to subsection 6.4.

6.3 Licenses are renewed biennially (every two years on the even year) on September 30 (e.g. September 30, 2006, 2008). Continuing education (CE) reporting periods run concurrently with the biennial licensing period.

6.4 Each licensed geologist shall complete, biennially, 24 units of continuing education as a condition of license renewal. The licensee is responsible for retaining all certificates and documentation of participation in approved continuing education programs. Upon request, such documentation shall be made available to the Board for random post renewal audit and verification purposes. A continuing education unit is equivalent to one contact hour (60 minutes), subject to the Board's review. The preparing of original lectures, seminars, or workshops in geology or related subjects shall be granted one (1) contact hour for preparation for each contact hour of presentation. Credit for preparation shall be given for the first presentation only.

6.5 A candidate for renewal may be granted an extension of time in which to complete continuing education hours upon a showing of hardship. "Hardship" may include, but is not limited to, disability; illness; extended absence from the jurisdiction; or exceptional family responsibilities. Requests for hardship consideration must be submitted to the Board in writing prior to the end of the licensing period for which it is made.

6.6 Continuing education shall be prorated for new licensees in the following manner:

6.6.1 If at the time of renewal, a licensee has been licensed for less than one (1) year, no continuing education is required; if he/she has been licensed for more than one (1) year, but less than two (2) years, twelve (12) of the twenty-four (24) hours will be required; if he/she has been licensed for two (2) years or more the full twenty-four (24) hours is required.

6.7 In his/her personal records, each licensee must keep proof of attendance for each activity for which the licensee is requesting credit. If the Board conducts an audit of a licensee's CE records, the Board will require the licensee to complete a CE log provided by the Board and submit the licensee's documentation of attendance to the CE event listed on the CE log. Failure to submit proof of attendance during an audit will result in loss of CE credit for that event.

6.8 Continuing education must be in a field related to Geology. Approval will be at the discretion of the Board. CEUs earned in excess of the required credits for the two- (2) year period may not be carried over to the next biennial period.

6.9 Categories of Continuing Education & Maximum Credit Allowed:

6.9.1 Geologic courses - 24 CEUs Total

Academic - 24 CEUs

Documentation - Proof of Completion

6.9.2 Professional Development in the Application of Practice of Geologic Sciences - 24 CEUs Total

Meetings - 12 CEUs (excluding job related meetings such as department meetings, supervision of students and business meetings within the work setting)

Workshops - 12 CEUs

Field Trips - 12 CEUs

Seminars - 12 CEUs

Documentation - Proof of Attendance and Duration

6.9.3 Peer Reviewed Publications- 12 CEUs Total

Composition - 12 CEUs

Review - 12 CEUs

Documentation - Proof of Participation

6.9.4 Research/Grants - 12 CEUs Total

Documentation - Proof of Submission

6.9.5 Specialty Training or Certifications - 12 CEUs Total

6.9.5.1 Specialty Training or Certification includes, but is not limited to, OSHA, for example HAZWOPER, and MSHA classes.

6.9.5.2 Documentation - Proof of Completion

6.9.6 Online courses and Web seminars - 12 CEUs Total

Documentation - Proof of Completion

6.9.7 Teaching/Presentations - 12 CEUs Total

Presentation - 12 CEUs (1 hour prep time per hour presented of original presentation)

Documentation - Verification from Sponsoring Institution

6.9.8 Service on a Geological Professional Society, Geological Institution Board/Committee or Geological State Board - 6 CEUs Total

Documentation - Proof of Appointment

6.9.9 Regulatory Based Activities - 12 CEUs Total

Certifications/Training - 12 CEUs Total

Documentation - Proof of Completion

6.9.10 For any of the above activities, when it is possible to claim credit in more than one category, the licensee may claim credit for the same time period in only one category.

6.10 Automatic Approval for course work sponsored by the following Professional Societies:

6.10.1 American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

6.10.2 American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists (AASP)

6.10.3 American Geosciences Institute (AGI)

6.10.4 American Geophysical Union (AGU)

6.10.5 American Institute of Hydrology (AIH)

6.10.6 American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG)

6.10.7 American Rock Mechanics Association (AMRA)

6.10.8 American Water Resources Association (AWRA)

6.10.9 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)

6.10.10 Association of American Geographers (AAG)

6.10.11 Association of American State Geologists (AASG)

6.10.12 Association of Earth Science Editors (AESE)

6.10.13 Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG)

6.10.14 Association of Ground Water Scientists & Engineers (AGWSE)

6.10.15 Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG)

6.10.16 Clay Mineral Society (CMS)

6.10.17 Council on Undergraduate Research-Geosciences Div. (CUR)

6.10.18 Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS)

6.10.19 Friends of Mineralogy (FOM)

6.10.20 Geochemical Society (GS)

6.10.21 Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (GI)

6.10.22 Geologic Society of America (GSA)

6.10.23 Geological Society of London (GSL)

6.10.24 Geoscience Information Society (GIS)

6.10.25 History of Earth Sciences Society (HESS)

6.10.26 International Medical Geology Association (IMGA)

6.10.27 International Association of Hydrogeologists/US National Committee (IAH)

6.10.28 Karst Waters Institute (KWI)

6.10.29 Mineralogical Society of America (MSA)

6.10.30 National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG)

6.10.31 National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT)

6.10.32 National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG)

6.10.33 National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI)

6.10.34 National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA)

6.10.35 National Ground Water Association (NGWA)

6.10.36 National Speleological Society (NSS)

6.10.37 North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (NACSN)

6.10.38 Paleobotanical Section of the Botanical Society of America (PSBSA)

6.10.39 Paleontological Research Institution (PRI)

6.10.40 Paleontological Society (PS)

6.10.41 Palynological Society (AASP)

6.10.42 Pennsylvania Council of Professional Geologists (PCPG)

6.10.43 Petroleum History Institute (PHI)

6.10.44 Seismological Society of America (SSA)

6.10.45 Society of Economic Geologists (SEG)

6.10.46 Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)

6.10.47 Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES)

6.10.48 Society of Mineral Museum Professionals (SMMP)

6.10.49 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME)

6.10.50 Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP)

6.10.51 Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)

6.10.52 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP)

6.10.53 Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

6.10.54 United States Permafrost Association (USPA)

6.11 Courses not pre-approved by the Board may be submitted for review and approval throughout the biennial licensing period.

6.11.1 Since subsection 6.10 provides the list of sponsors that are automatically approved by the Board for any course work used for Continuing Education units (CEU) towards the total of 24 CEUs in the biennial license period, please note that subsection 6.11, allowing for pre-approval of courses for CEUs, only pertains to courses NOT offered by a sponsor listed in the list provided in subsection 6.10. Furthermore, one CEU = one Contact Hour.

6.11.2 A course may be approved for a period of not more than 2 calendar years, provided the course is conducted by the sponsor or provider making application and the curriculum and course length are consistent with what was approved. All course approvals expire on the deadline for licensure renewal, which is September 30 of even years. A course cannot be automatically renewed. A sponsor or provider will need to reapply for approval no later than 60 days prior to the end of the renewal period before conducting the course or advertising the course to Delaware licensees.

6.12 Audit. Each biennium, the Division of Professional Regulation shall select from the list of potential renewal licensees a percentage, determined by the Board, which shall be selected by random method. The Board may also audit based on complaints or charges against an individual license, relative to compliance with continuing education requirements or based on a finding of past non-compliance during prior audits.

6.13 Documentation and Audit by the Board. When a licensee whose name or number appears on the audit list applies for renewal, the Board shall obtain documentation from the licensee showing detailed accounting of the various CEU's claimed by the licensee. Licensees selected for random audit are required to supplement the attestation with attendance verification. The Board shall attempt to verify the CEUs shown on the documentation provided by the licensee. The Board shall then review the documentation and verification. Upon completion of the review, the Board shall decide whether the licensee's CEU's meet the requirements of these rules and regulations. The licensee shall sign and seal all verification documentation with a Board approved seal.

6.14 Board Review. The Board shall review all documentation requested of any licensee shown on the audit list. If the Board determines the licensee has met the requirements, the licensee's license shall remain in effect. If the Board initially determines the licensee has not met the requirements, the licensee shall be notified and a hearing may be held pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act. This hearing will be conducted to determine if there are any extenuating circumstances justifying the apparent noncompliance with these requirements. Unjustified noncompliance of these regulations shall be considered misconduct in the practice of geology, pursuant to 24 Del.C. § 3612(a)(7). The minimum penalty for unjustified noncompliance shall be a letter of reprimand and a $250.00 monetary penalty; however, the Board may impose any of the additional penalties specified in 24 Del.C. § 3612.

6.15 Noncompliance - Extenuating Circumstances. A licensee applying for renewal may request an extension and be given up to an additional twelve (12) months to make up all outstanding required CEUs providing he/she can show good cause why he/she was unable to comply with such requirements at the same time he/she applies for renewal. The licensee must state the reason for such extension along with whatever documentation he/she feels is relevant. The Board shall consider requests such as extensive travel outside the United States, military service, extended illness of the licensee or his/her immediate family, or a death in the immediate family of the licensee. The written request for hardship consideration must be submitted to the Board in writing prior to the end of the licensing period for which it is made. The Board shall issue an extension when it determines that one or more of these criteria have been met or if circumstances beyond the control of the licensee have rendered it impossible for the licensee to obtain the required CEUs. A licensee who has successfully applied for an extension under this paragraph shall make up all outstanding hours of continuing education within the extension period approved by the Board.

6.16 Appeal. Any licensee denied renewal pursuant to these rules and regulations may contest such ruling by filing an appeal of the Board's final order pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act.

24 Del. Admin. Code § 3600-6.0

7 DE Reg. 1342 (04/01/04)
10 DE Reg. 567 (09/01/06)
11 DE Reg. 349 (09/01/07)
13 DE Reg. 682 (11/01/09)
16 DE Reg. 437 (10/01/12)
17 DE Reg. 991 (4/1/2014)
19 DE Reg. 1104 (6/1/2016)
20 DE Reg. 824 (4/1/2017)
27 DE Reg. 260 (10/1/2023) (Final)