Important Message: Starting in 2013, the Florida Department of Health will now be checking CE records prior to Massage Therapists renewing their license. See No. 17 below.

Continuing Education Requirements

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

A: a. A maximum of twenty-four (24) hours of Florida Board of Massage Therapy approved continuing education must be obtained by all licensed massage therapists during the biennium of September 1, 2011 through August 31, 2013.

b. If licensed during the biennium, one credit for every month or partial month licensed during this biennium period. See the Q. No. 3 below for details.

c. The 24 hours must include the required mandatory courses: Prevention of Medical Errors (2 hours), Professional Ethics (2 hours), and Laws and Rules of Massage Therapy (2 hours). An HIV/AIDS course is no longer required.

d. Twelve of the 24 can be by home study. All CE for Health Care Professionals courses are home study.

e. Twelve of the 24 hours must be via live classroom instruction. The Board CE rule reads:

At least 12 continuing education hours shall be relevant to and focus on massage therapy techniques, which may include history of massage therapy, human anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and/or pathology. As of September 1, 2007, the 12 continuing education hours shall be taken via live classroom instruction, which includes hands-on instruction or demonstration, 6 hours of which may be performed as pro bono services pursuant to rule 64B7, F.A.C. See Board Rule 64B7-28.009(3) (a), F.A.C.

f. See the Board of Massage Therapy website for further information. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/massage/index.html

2. LAW CHANGE: What about the HIV/AIDS course requirement?

A: As of 2012, the Florida Legislature removed the section in the Florida statutes requiring Massage Therapists and Athletic Trainers to take a course in HIV/AIDS each license renewal period, therefore the course is no longer mandatory for license renewal. Applicants for license must still take a 3 hour HIV/AIDS course prior to licensure.

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

a. The Board rule states that a person licensed during the biennium must "complete one CE hour for each month or part of a month that shall have elapsed since the issuance of the license for which renewal is sought, up to a maximum of 24 hours for the renewal period."

b. The three (3) mandatory courses, listed in Q & A No. 1 above, must be taken as part of those total hours. However, graduates of a Board approved massage school that received 2 hours of education in Board laws and rules, and 2 hours of professional ethics, prior to initial licensure, are NOT required to take these courses for their first time initial license renewal. A 2 hour course in Medical Errors is always required, even though just taken for license application.

c. Once the mandatory courses have been taken, then the licensee can take any elective courses from any Board approved CE Provider.

d. The Board has stated that newly licensed massage therapists do NOT have to take any live hands-on courses during the first renewal period.

e. If you are in doubt about your CE requirements, send the Board an e-mail with your name and date of licensure. See a link to the Board website in FAQ No. 1 above. Here is an example: License date March 5, 2013, and completed the 2 hours in Laws and Rules and 2 hours in ethics at an approved Massage School. Must take 6 hours of CE credit that includes Medical Errors (2 hours) for first renewal.

4. Q: What are the course requirements for APPLICANTS for Initial Licensure?

A: All applicants must take a 2 hour course in Prevention of Medical Errors. Applicants for licensure by endorsement must take the 2 hour Prevention of Medical Errors course, a 3 hour course in HIV/AIDS and a 10 hour course in Florida Laws and Rules. Applicants can take our CE courses for initial licensure. Once you complete the courses, print out and mail or fax copies of the Certificates of Course completion to the Board with your other application materials. If applying online, fill out the Board's form with the information requested. Once you are licensed, add your license number to your Account with our company to receive credit for future courses.

Q: When will I receive my renewal notice from the State? How can and why should I change my address with the Board of Massage Therapy?

A: The 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 Board. Send the Board your new address by letter to: Board of Massage Therapy, Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin # C-01, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3251, or send the Board an e-mail. To check the address currently listed with the Board for you, go to the Department's "Licensee Look-up" site. https://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00PRAES/PRASLIST.ASP

6. Q: Is CE for Health Care Professionals an approved provider of the Florida Board of Massage Therapy and an Approved CE Provider of the NCBTMB?

A: Yes, all of our courses have been approved by the Florida Board of Massage Therapy and are accepted by the Board for CE credit. All of our courses are also registered with CE Broker. We are also an approved provider of NCBTMB. We were approved on July 23, 2009. Our NCBTMB Approved Provider number is 451101-09. The number will appear on your Certificate of Course completion. According to the NCBTMB, we can award "retroactive continuing education hours" up to 2 years from the date of the July 23, 2009 approval. So if you took our courses prior to that date, simply write our approved provider number on the copy of your Certificate when you forward it to the NCBTMB for certification or recertification. E-mail us if you have any further questions.

How to Order the Courses

7. Q: How do I order courses?

A: For the first time that you order from our company, register on the New Member Profile section of the Order Page. Fields marked with an asterisk are required. Create (and remember) your Login Name and Password; they are Case and Space Sensitive. You will need these later to login to Member Login to access the courses, tests, and Certificates. If you have previously ordered courses from our company, use the Member Section on the Order Page. The new courses you order will be added to your previous Account.

8. 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 your credit card information is entered are being 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 is almost instantaneous. Do not push the button more than once or you may reorder and be charged again. Once the transaction is completed, the transaction approval page will appear.

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

A: After approval, you will be sent an e-mail Receipt (which you can print out for your records). 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 the contact information you provided at sign up. For each course, there will be two links. "Review Course Material" opens the course. "Take the Test" opens the test. You can return to our website home page from any computer, and go to Member Login to access your Account courses at any time in the future.

10. Q: How do I change my Account profile's contact information and add my license number?

A: Log in via the Member Login link. Use the "Update Contact Info" button on the bottom of your Account page. Once you have changed your contact info, enter your password to confirm the changes. If you become licensed in Florida, make sure you update your Account with your license number.

11. 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 with your previously ordered courses.

Course Completion Procedures

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

A: Our courses are self-paced and flexible. 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 courses 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.

13. 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.

14. Q: How do I make a copy of the Certificate of course completion 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. Board rule requires you keep your certificates and any other proof of taking all CE courses for 4 years.

Information on CE Broker

15. 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 an annual fee to subscribe to its services. All of the approved CE Course Providers, like our company, are required to register their courses with CE Broker. We then submit the names, license number, courses taken, and other information about the licensees who complete our courses to CE Broker. CE Broker then creates a "transcript" for each licensee, showing the courses 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.

16. Q: Do health care licensees have to subscribe to "CE Broker" in order to have their license renewed? How does the "audit" process work in relation to "CE Broker?"

A: No, Florida health care licensees do not have to subscribe to CE Broker. Since all approved CE providers must report their attendance records to "CE Broker," then "CE Broker" will have a complete transcript for ALL licensees. Note: some national associations do not report to CE Broker. The licensee can report (self-submit) these credits to CE Broker without subscribing. After the license renewal period ends, the Department has been conducting a random audit of a percentage of licensees for CE compliance. Starting in 2013 this policy is changing. See below.

17. Q: What about CE compliance and license renewal? What is the new change?

A: IMPORTANT CHANGES: The Florida Department of Health announced that it is now phasing in a system of tying license renewal to CE compliance. Starting in May 2013, as each profession renews their licenses, new procedures will be implemented over the next two license renewal cycles. All health care practitioner licensees of the Florida Department of Health will be subject to these new license renewal procedures.

The Department of Health is now integrating the continuing education tracking system (CE Broker) with the license renewal system. The Department will verify continuing education compliance by a licensee "in real time" at the beginning of the license renewal period. This will eliminate auditing for CE compliance after the renewal period.

Phase l is called "optional" and includes a system check for CE compliance, but will not prevent renewal as long as CE is entered into the tracking system. Phase II is "mandatory" and will require a practitioner to have all CE requirements completed and entered into the continuing education tracking system before the license renewal is approved.

****Under Phase l, starting in 2013, if the CE Broker system shows that the licensee has not completed all CE, the Department's license renewal system will automatically transfer the licensee to CE Broker to input CE credit hours via electronic upload, fax, mail, or a mobile application. This is called the "Basic Service" in the CE Broker system and is free for the licensee. The licensee will be allowed to renew, even if all CE are not met, however, they will receive notice that CE is not complete and be told how to complete it.

See the link to the Department of Health webpage on the new renewal procedures: http://www.ceatrenewal.com/

18. 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 your records of course completion to CE Broker using your Florida license number. We keep all CE course attendance records in case there is a mix-up or error. Note: We do not send info on Applicants, temporary licensees, or persons licensed in other states.

19. Q: What is the penalty for not taking the CE courses?

A: For first time violation, a Citation is issued and a fine assessed. The fine is: $250 for failure to take the required CE courses, and an additional fine of $250 fine for failure to take the Prevention of Medical Errors course. The Board's costs of investigation and prosecution are also assessed: generally $250 to $1,000. Any missed courses must be made up 90 days from the date of the Citation. Note that once the new system is in place, there will be no further audits because the Board will not renew your license unless your CE is complete!

20. Q: Is there any Florida health care practitioner that "CE Broker" does not apply to?

A: Yes, only health care licensees of the Florida Department of Health are affected. 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."

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

A:A: You may 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. 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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