CHAPTER 102
CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR FUNERAL DIRECTORS
645—102.1(272C) Definitions. For the purpose of these rules, the following definitions will apply:
“Active license” means a license that is current and has not expired.
“Audit” means the selection of licensees for verification of satisfactory completion of continuing education requirements during a specified time period.
“Board” means the board of mortuary science.
“Continuing education” means planned, organized learning acts that are designed to maintain, improve, or expand a licensee’s knowledge and skills in order for the licensee to develop new knowledge and skills relevant to the enhancement of practice, education, or theory development to improve the safety and welfare of the public and that meet the standards set forth in these rules.
“Hour of continuing education” means at least 50 minutes spent by a licensee in actual attendance at and completion of continuing education.
“Inactive license” means a license that has expired because it was not renewed by the end of the grace period. The category of “inactive license” may include licenses formerly known as lapsed, inactive, delinquent, closed, or retired.
“Independent study” means a subject/program/activity that a person pursues autonomously that meets standards for approval criteria in these rules and includes a posttest.
“License” means license to practice.
“Licensee” means any person licensed to practice as a funeral director in the state of Iowa.
[ARC 7814C, IAB 4/17/24, effective 5/22/24]
645—102.2(272C) Continuing education requirements.
	102.2(1) The biennial continuing education compliance period will extend for a two-year period beginning on the fifteenth day of the licensee’s birth month and ending on the fifteenth day of the licensee’s birth month. Each biennium, a person who holds an active license will be required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education activity. Two of the 24 hours of continuing education will be in current Iowa law and rules covering mortuary science content areas, including but not limited to Iowa law and rules governing the practice of mortuary science, cremation, vital statistics, cemeteries and preneed. A minimum of 12 hours of the 24 hours of continuing education required for renewal will be earned by completing a program in which an instructor conducts the class employing either in-person or live, real-time interactive media.
	102.2(2) Requirements of new licensees. Continuing education is not required in the first renewal period. Continuing education hours acquired any time from the initial licensing until the second license renewal may be used. The new licensee will be required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education per biennium for each subsequent license renewal.
	102.2(3) Hours of continuing education credit may be obtained by attending and participating in a continuing education activity as stipulated in rule.
	102.2(4) No hours of continuing education will be carried over into the next biennium except as stated in subrule 102.2(2). A licensee whose license was reactivated during the current renewal compliance period may use continuing education earned during the compliance period for the first renewal following reactivation.
	102.2(5) It is the responsibility of each licensee to finance the cost of continuing education.
[ARC 7814C, IAB 4/17/24, effective 5/22/24]
645—102.3(156,272C) Standards.
	102.3(1) General criteria. A continuing education activity must meet the following criteria:
	a. 	Constitute an organized program of learning that contributes directly to the professional competency of the licensee;
	b. 	Pertain to subject matters that integrally relate to the practice of the profession;
	c. 	Be conducted by individuals who have specialized education, training and experience concerning the subject matter of the program. At the time of audit, the board may request the qualifications of presenters;
	d. 	Fulfill stated program goals, objectives, or both; and
	e. 	Provide proof of attendance to licensees in attendance, including:
	(1)	Date(s), location, course title, presenter(s);
	(2)	Number of program contact hours; and
	(3)	Certificate of completion or evidence of successful completion of the course provided by the course sponsor.
All licensees must retain the information identified in paragraph 102.3(1)“e” for two years after the biennium has ended.
	102.3(2) Specific criteria.
	a. 	The following categories of continuing education are accepted:
	(1)	Public health and technical: chemistry, microbiology and public health, anatomy, pathology, restorative art, arterial and cavity embalming.
	(2)	Business management: accounting, funeral home and crematory management and merchandising, computer application, funeral directing, and small business management.
	(3)	Social sciences/humanities: psychology of grief, counseling, sociology of funeral service, history of funeral service, communication skills, and philosophy.
	(4)	Legal, ethical, regulatory: mortuary law; business law; ethics; Federal Trade Commission, OSHA, ADA, and EPA regulations; preneed regulation; social services; veterans affairs benefits; insurance; state and county benefits; legislative concerns. Insurance will be related to life insurance and will not exceed 8 hours each biennium.
	b. 	Academic coursework that meets the criteria set forth in the rule is accepted. Continuing education credit equivalents are as follows:
1 academic semester hour = 10 continuing education hours
1 academic trimester hour = 8 continuing education hours
1 academic quarter hour = 7 continuing education hours
A course description and an official school transcript indicating successful completion of the course must be provided by the licensee to receive credit for an academic course if continuing education is audited.
	c. 	Attendance at or participation in a program or course that is offered or sponsored by a state or national funeral association that meets the criteria in subrule 102.3(1) and paragraph 102.3(2)“a” is accepted.
	d. 	 Independent study credits, including those obtained by television viewing, Internet, video- or sound-recorded programs, or correspondence work or by other similar means that meet the criteria in paragraph 102.3(2)“a,” must be accompanied by a certificate from the sponsoring organization that indicates successful completion of the test. Continuing education credit obtained by independent study will not exceed 12 hours of the 24 hours required during the compliance period.
	e. 	Presentations of a structured continuing education program or a college course that meets the criteria established in standards for approval may receive 1.5 times the number of hours granted the attendees. These hours will be granted only once per biennium for identical presentations.
	f. 	Two of the 24 hours of continuing education will be in current Iowa law and rules covering mortuary science content areas including but not limited to Iowa law and rules governing the practice of mortuary science, cremation, vital statistics, cemeteries and preneed.
[ARC 7814C, IAB 4/17/24, effective 5/22/24]
645—102.4(272C) Automatic exemption. A licensee will be exempt from the continuing education requirement during the license biennium when that person:
	1.	Served honorably on active duty in the military service; or
	2.	Was a government employee working in the licensee’s specialty and assigned to duty outside the United States; or
	3.	Was absent from the state but engaged in active practice under circumstances that are approved by the board.
[ARC 7814C, IAB 4/17/24, effective 5/22/24]
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code section 272C.2 and chapter 156.
[Filed 10/13/00, Notice 9/6/00—published 11/1/00, effective 12/6/00]
[Filed 6/19/02, Notice 1/9/02—published 7/10/02, effective 8/14/02]
[Filed 6/15/05, Notice 4/13/05—published 7/6/05, effective 8/10/05]
[Filed 6/9/06, Notice 4/12/06—published 7/5/06, effective 8/9/06]
[Filed 3/21/08, Notice 1/16/08—published 4/9/08, effective 5/14/08]
[Filed 9/12/08, Notice 7/30/08—published 10/8/08, effective 11/12/08]
[Filed ARC 9239B (Notice ARC 8927B, IAB 7/14/10), IAB 11/17/10, effective 12/22/10]
[Filed ARC 3083C (Notice ARC 3000C, IAB 3/29/17), IAB 5/24/17, effective 6/28/17]
[Filed ARC 7814C (Notice ARC 7533C, IAB 1/24/24), IAB 4/17/24, effective 5/22/24]