73-19-153 - Educational and clinical training requirements for certification; examination.
§ 73-19-153. Educational and clinical training requirements for certification; examination.
(1) Any optometrist certified to use diagnostic pharmaceutical agents as provided in Section 73-19-105 also may be certified to use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents when he has satisfactorily completed the following:
(a) A course consisting of a minimum of sixty-four (64) hours of didactic education as defined by rule or regulation of the State Board of Optometry with the advice and consultation of the designated members of the State Board of Medical Licensure and the State Board of Pharmacy, with particular emphasis on the examination, diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the eye and adnexa. Such course shall be provided by an institution accredited by a regional or professional accreditation organization that is recognized or approved by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation of the United States Department of Education, or its successor, and approved by the State Board of Optometry with the advice and consultation of the designated members of the State Board of Medical Licensure and the State Board of Pharmacy; and
(b) A minimum of eighty (80) hours of supervised clinical training as it applies to optometry with particular emphasis on the examination, diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the human eye and adnexa, by an institution accredited by a regional or professional accreditation organization that is recognized or approved by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation of the United States Department of Education, or its successor, and approved by the State Board of Optometry with the advice and consultation of the designated members of the State Board of Medical Licensure and the State Board of Pharmacy; and
(c) Such other requirements as may be determined by the board.
(2) Upon the successful completion of all specified educational and clinical requirements provided by an institution accredited by a regional or professional accreditation organization that is recognized or approved by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation of the United States Department of Education, or its successor, and approved by the State Board of Optometry with the advice and consultation of the designated members of the State Board of Medical Licensure and the State Board of Pharmacy, any optometrist who desires certification to prescribe and use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents shall satisfactorily pass a written examination approved by the State Board of Optometry, with the advice and consultation of the designated members of the State Board of Medical Licensure and the State Board of Pharmacy. The applicant for certification must achieve a score equal to or greater than a score that is generally accepted in medical schools as a passing score for the same subject areas of examination, as determined by the State Board of Optometry. All examinations and scores shall be made available for inspection to the State Board of Medical Licensure and the State Board of Pharmacy through their designated members.
Sources: Laws, 1994, ch. 573, § 3, eff from and after July 1, 1994.