Information on Continuing Education Requirements

1. Q: How many hours of continuing education are needed for this licensing period?

A: A minimum of thirty (30) hours of continuing education, which includes two (2) hours in Prevention of Medical Errors, must be obtained by all licensees during the biennium ending May 31, 2013. Up to 10 hours may be in management, risk management, personal growth, and educational techniques. The Florida Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council no longer approves CE Providers. The Council website lists several methods of obtaining CE credit. Here is a link to the Council website: Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council.

2. Q: What are the current requirements on HIV/AIDS courses?

A: Starting July 1, 2006, the law was changed to eliminate the former requirement that Applicants take an HIV/AIDS course prior to licensure, and that licensees take an HIV/AIDS course each biennium. The law currently requires that only new licensees must take a 3 hour HIV/AIDS prior to first renewal of their license. An HIV/AIDS course can still be taken as an elective by licensees. The Council Rule provides that licensees of the Council can take an HIV/AIDS course that is approved by any Florida health care licensing board. CE for Health Care Professionals (CEHCPro) is an approved provider of the Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel, the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice, and the Board of Massage Therapy. Therefore, Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors may take our HIV/AIDS course for credit.

3. Q: Is a course in the Prevention of Medical Errors required by the Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council?

A: Yes, in 2001 the Florida Legislature passed a law providing that all Florida licensed health care professionals must take a 2 hour course in Prevention of Medical Errors every biennium and prior to initial licensure. The Council website states: "Prevention of Medical Errors courses approved by any Board within the Division of Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) of the Department of Health are approved by the Council." CE for Health Care Professionals (CEHCPro) is an approved CE Provider for the Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel, the Board of Occupational Therapy, and the Board of Massage Therapy. Therefore, licensed Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors may take our course for continuing education credit.

4. What elective courses does CE for Health Care Professionals offer for Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors?

A. We offer 3 elective courses that are classified as "general" and considered "complimentary" (sorry this term does not mean free, it is a term the Council uses to allow Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors to take CE courses that have been approved by other Florida health care Boards) because they have been approved by other Boards of the Florida Department of Health. Therefore, Florida licensed Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors can take and receive continuing education credits for these courses: Domestic Violence for Health Care Professionals, Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination and Harassment, and Health Information Technology (HIT) for Health Care Professionals.

5. Q: How many hours of continuing education may be taken by home study?

A: The Council rule states that up to fifteen (15) hours of continuing education by home study per biennium shall be accepted. Our courses are designated as home study.

6. Q: When will I receive my renewal notice from the State?

A: The post card notices are mailed approximately 90-120 days before the end of the biennium. The notices will be mailed to the last address you have given the Council. If you do not receive your notice, check with the Council.

7. Q: How can I change my address with the Council?

A: Send the Council a letter addressed to: Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council, Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin # C-05, Tallahassee, Florida 33999-3255, or change it electronically by sending the Council an e-mail. You can look up your name, address and license number on the Department's "Licensee Look-up" site to check your current information. A citation can be issued against you with a fine of $100 for failure "to notify the Department of a change of address within 60 days." See Council Rule 64B8-44.05, F.A.C.

8. Q: What are the CE requirements for persons NEWLY LICENSED during the current biennium?

A: The Council rule states: "Those persons certified for licensure in the second half of the biennium are exempt from the continuing education requirements for that biennium." Rule 64B8-45.001(1), F.A.C. Therefore persons licensed after June 1, 2010 do not need to take the CE courses for this biennium. However, all new licensees must take the Prevention of Medical Errors course, as mandated by the Florida statute, during every 2 year renewal period. And all new licensees must also take the 3 hour HIV/AIDS course prior to first renewal.

9. Q: What are the course requirements for APPLICANTS for INITIAL LICENSURE?

A: Applicants must take a 2 hour course in Prevention of Medical Errors. Applicants can take our Prevention of Medical Errors course. Once you are licensed, send us your Florida license number and we will update your Account with our company.

Questions on Signing Up for Courses

10. Q: How do I order courses for the first time?

A: On the Order Page, there are three sections: Course Selection, Current Members, and New Member Profile. The first time you order, check the course(s) you want to order and create a New Member Profile for yourself. Remember your user name (login name) and password (case and space sensitive). You'll need these later to login to the Member Login section to access the courses, tests and certificates. To correctly enter your Florida license number, do not use the two or three letter prefix for your profession, or the zeroes that appear before your license number. If you are not licensed in Florida, put in "applicant" or "student." Do not put in the license number from another state or any other term because CE Broker will reject your course completion. Verify your information on the next screen. When correct, press the "Submit Info" button and you'll be sent to a secure site to enter your credit card information.

11. Q: How does the secure site work, and what sort of security is being used for my credit card information?

A: The secure pages where you enter credit card information are hosted by VeriSign, (now owned by PayPal) one of the leading security companies on the net. VeriSign has added a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to protect these pages. An SSL is an industry standard protocol for encrypting data to prevent eavesdropping or message forging. We have never had any security problems with our orders. And we do not sell or use your personal information in any way. Note: Once you submit your credit card, debit or bank card (VISA or MasterCard logo) information, the approval or rejection is almost instantaneous. Do not push the button more than once or you may be charged again. An approval message appears, and you are also e-mailed a receipt.

12. Q: What do I do after I've paid? / How do I get to my courses?

A: You can go immediately to the Member Login page by using the button at the bottom of the transaction approval page. Enter the login name and password exactly as you entered them during the course purchase. You will be sent to your personal Account page. This page contains a list of courses you ordered and your contact information. For each course, there will be two links. "Review Course Materials" opens the course. "Take the Test" opens the test. You can return to the CEHCPro website home page from any computer, and go to Member Login to access your Account at any time in the future.

13. Q: How do I change my Account profile's contact information?

A: Log in via the Member Login link. Use the "Update Contact Info" button on the bottom of your Account page. Once you have made the changes, enter your password to confirm the changes. However, to change your name, or your status as Applicant or Student, or to add your Florida license number, please send us an e-mail. For security reasons, we need to verify and make those changes.

14. Q: How can I order more courses in the future?

A: Go to the Order the Courses page and check the course(s) you want to add. Then enter your login name and password in the "Current Member" section. Your newly added courses will be placed on your Account page under your previously ordered courses.

Course Completion Procedures

15. Q: How long do I have to take the courses and can I print out the course materials?

A: Our courses are self-paced. Take as long as needed to read the courses and complete the tests. You can review the materials in any format you wish (online, offline, or print out). You can open and close the course and tests as often as needed and from any computer. We do not impose any time limit on how long you have to complete a course; however be mindful of the renewal deadline for your license.

16. Q: What are the testing procedures? / How many times can I take the test?

A: Tests must be taken online. The tests are not timed. All tests in the CEHCPro system are in a "true / false" format with any blank answers counting as wrong. A score of 70% or more is considered passing. Take the test as many times as necessary to pass. Once you have passed the test, a new window will appear which contains your Certificate of course completion.

17. Q: How do I make a copy of the Certificate for my own records?

A: Log into your Account via the Member Login page, and open the "Certificate of Completion" link. Use the Print button in your browser to print a copy of the certificate. You can also copy and paste and print or e-mail it as an attachment. Council rule requires you keep your certificates and any other proof of taking continuing education courses for 4 years.

Information on CE Broker

18. Q: What is "CE Broker"?

A: "CE Broker" is a private company that tracks the continuing education courses taken by all 500,000 health care practitioners licensed by the Florida Department of Health. Several years ago, the Florida Legislature found that many health care licensees were not taking the required CE courses and in 2001 passed a law requiring the Department to set up an "electronic CE tracking system." The Department then contracted with CE Broker which agreed to do the tracking without charging the Department. CE Broker makes money by charging licensed health care professionals $35 to subscribe to its services for two years. All of the approved CE course providers, like our company, are required to register their courses with CE Broker. We must then submit the names, license number, courses taken, and other information about the licensees who take our courses to CE Broker. CE Broker then creates a "transcript" for each licensee, showing the course(s) taken and number of hours for each course. This is done for all licensees, whether or not they have subscribed to CE Broker. For more information visit the "CE Broker" website: www.cebroker.com

19. Q: Do health care licensees have to subscribe to "CE Broker" in order to have their license renewed?

A: No, subscription is not mandatory and is completely voluntary, although Department letters to licensees earlier seemed to imply otherwise, and seemed to tie license renewal with membership in "CE Broker." The Department now checks for CE compliance after a person renews their license. Since all CE providers must report their attendance records to “CE Broker,” then "CE Broker" will have a complete transcript for ALL licensees. After the license renewal period ends, the Department electronically obtains the records from "CE Broker" of those with an incomplete transcript and these people are audited. In early 2009, Department staff told our President that there is now a special audit unit in the Department of Health to perform these audits.

20. Q: Can I find out my CE records from CE Broker without being a subscriber?

A: No, not unless you subscribe; however, any records of "CE Broker" are "public records" under the state of Florida public records law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. The Department of Health has stated that they will provide a "list of courses taken" under the public records law, at the normal public records charge of $.15 a page. To obtain a list of the courses that "CE Broker" has listed for you (without joining CE Broker), send a letter to the following address: Division of Medical Quality Assurance, Management Services, Bin C01, Attention: Public Records-CE History, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee, FL 32399-3251. For further information, see: www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/Publications/cebroker-FAQ.htm

21. Q: Is "CE for Health Care Professionals" complying with the CE Broker rule?

A: Yes, once you successfully complete a course with us, we immediately, automatically and electronically (our computer to their computer) send our records of course attendance to CE Broker. We are also keeping all of our CE course attendance records in case there is a mix-up or error. Note: We do not send info on Applicants, Students, or license numbers from other states or certifying organizations, only Florida licensed health care professionals.

22. Q: What is the penalty for not taking the correct number or type of CE credits?

A: The Council issues a citation and can charge a penalty and the costs of investigation. The fine for “falsely certifying timely completion of required CE courses for renewal or initial licensure” is $100 per contact hour, if completed by the time the citation is to be issued. When you renew your license, then you are certifying you have completed the CE requirements. In addition, fines for failure to comply with continuing education requirements: a. failure to complete less than 9 hours, a fine of $300; b. failure to complete between 9 and 16 hours, a fine of $600; c. failure to complete between 17 and 24 hours, a fine of $1,000. See Council rule 64B8-44.005, Citations.

23. Q: Is there any health care person that "CE Broker" does not apply to?

A: Yes, only health care licensees of the Florida Department of Health are affected. CE Broker does not apply to temporary licenses, limited licenses, and trainees. Applicants for licensure frequently take our CE courses, as needed for initial licensure or review, but the "CE Broker" system does not keep records for these persons. Licensees from other states can take our courses, but their records are not sent to or kept by "CE Broker."

24. Q: Who do I contact if I have additional questions or concerns or need HELP?

A: Contact the support personnel for CE for Health Care Professionals. The contact information is found on the Contact Us page. The easiest way to contact us is to send us an E-mail. We answer that day, sometimes within minutes. Our telephone staff does not have access to your login name and password, so send us an e-mail if you forget these, or have other questions. Include your name and profession. We welcome comments, corrections, and questions, and we will respond. And THANK YOU for taking our courses.

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