Assembly Bill No. 333

CHAPTER 360

An act to add Section 856 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.

[Approved by Governor September 30, 2015. Filed with Secretary of State September 30, 2015.]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 333, Melendez. Healing arts: continuing education.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various healing arts licensees by various boards, as defined, within the Department of Consumer Affairs and imposes various continuing education requirements for license renewal.

This bill would allow specified healing arts licensees to apply one unit, as defined, of continuing education credit, once per renewal cycle, towards any required continuing education units for attending certain courses that result in the licensee becoming a certified instructor of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or the proper use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and would allow specified healing arts licensees to apply up to 2 units of continuing education credit, once per renewal cycle, towards any required continuing education units for conducting CPR or AED training sessions for employees of school districts and community college districts in the state. The bill would specify that these provisions would only apply if a licensing board’s laws or regulations establishing continuing education requirements include the courses or activities mentioned above.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 856 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

856.  

(a) (1) A person licensed pursuant to this division who is required to complete continuing education units as a condition of renewing his or her license may, once per renewal cycle, apply one unit of continuing education credit, pursuant to paragraph (2), towards that requirement for attending a course that results in the licensee becoming a certified instructor of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or the proper use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

(2) A licensee may only apply continuing education credit for attending one of the following courses:

(A) An instructional program developed by the American Heart Association.

(B) An instructional program developed by the American Red Cross.

(C) An instructional program that is nationally recognized and based on the most current national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for the performance of CPR and the use of an AED.

(b) A person licensed pursuant to this division who is required to complete continuing education units as a condition of renewing his or her license may, once per renewal cycle, apply up to two units of continuing education credit towards that requirement for conducting CPR or AED training sessions for employees of school districts and community college districts in the state.

(c) For purposes of this section, “unit” means any measurement for continuing education, such as hours or course credits.

(d) This section shall only apply to a person licensed under this division if the applicable licensing board’s laws or regulations establishing continuing education requirements include the courses or activities described in subdivisions (a) and (b).



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