CHAPTER 81
LICENSURE OF DIETITIANS
[Prior to 6/26/02, see 645—Ch 80]
645—81.1(152A) Definitions. For purposes of these rules, the following definitions shall apply:
“Active license” means a license that is current and has not expired.
“Board” means the board of dietetic examiners.
“Dietetics” means the integration and application of principles derived from the sciences of nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, food management and from behavioral and social sciences to achieve and maintain an individual’s health.
“Grace period” means the 30-day period following expiration of a license when the license is still considered to be active. In order to renew a license during the grace period, a licensee is required to pay a late fee.
“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.
“Licensee” means any person licensed to practice as a dietitian in the state of Iowa.
“License expiration date” means the fifteenth day of the birth month every two years following initial licensure.
“Licensure by endorsement” means the issuance of an Iowa license to practice dietetics to an applicant who is currently licensed in another state.
“Nutrition assessment” means the evaluation of the nutrition needs of individuals and groups based upon appropriate biochemical, anthropometric, physical, and dietary data to determine nutrient needs and to recommend appropriate nutritional intake, including enteral and parenteral nutrition.
“Nutrition counseling” means advising and assisting individuals or groups, with consideration of cultural background and socioeconomic status, about appropriate nutritional intake by integrating information from the nutrition assessment with information about food and other sources of nutrients and meal preparation.
“Reactivate” or “reactivation” means the process as outlined in rule 81.15(17A,147,272C) by which an inactive license is restored to active status.
“Reciprocal license” means the issuance of an Iowa license to practice dietetics to an applicant who is currently licensed in another state which has a mutual agreement with the Iowa board of dietetic examiners to license persons who have the same or similar qualifications as those required in Iowa.
“Registered dietitian” means a dietitian who has met the standards and qualifications of the Commission on Dietetic Registration, a member of the National Commission for Health Certifying Agencies.
“Reinstatement” means the process as outlined in 645—11.31(272C) by which a licensee who has had a license suspended or revoked or who has voluntarily surrendered a license may apply to have the license reinstated, with or without conditions. Once the license is reinstated, the licensee may apply for active status.
645—81.2(152A) Nutrition care. The primary function of dietetic practice is the provision of nutrition care services that shall include:
	1.	Assessing the nutrition needs of individuals and groups and determining resources and constraints in the practice setting.
	2.	Establishing priorities, goals, and objectives that meet nutrition needs and are consistent with available resources and constraints.
	3.	Providing nutrition counseling concerning health and disease.
	4.	Developing, implementing, and managing nutrition care systems.
	5.	Evaluating, making changes in, and maintaining appropriate standards of quality in food and nutrition services.
645—81.3(152A,272C) Principles. The dietetic practitioner shall:
	1.	Provide professional services with objectivity and with respect for the unique needs and values of individuals.
	2.	Avoid discrimination against other individuals on the basis of race, creed, religion, sex, age, and national origin.
	3.	Fulfill professional commitments in good faith.
	4.	Conduct oneself with honesty, integrity, and fairness.
	5.	Remain free of conflict of interest while fulfilling the objectives and maintaining the integrity of the dietetic profession.
	6.	Maintain confidentiality of information.
	7.	Practice dietetics based on scientific principles and current information.
	8.	Assume responsibility and accountability for personal competence in practice.
	9.	Recognize and exercise professional judgment within the limits of qualifications and seek counsel or make referrals as appropriate.
	10.	Provide sufficient information to enable clients to make their own informed decisions.
	11.	Inform the public and colleagues by using factual information and shall not advertise in a false or misleading manner.
	12.	Promote or endorse products in a manner that is neither false nor misleading.
	13.	Permit the use of the practitioner’s name for the purpose of certifying that dietetic services have been rendered only after having provided those services or supervised the provision of those services.
	14.	Accurately present professional qualifications and credentials.
	15.	Present substantiated information and interpret controversial information without personal bias, recognizing that legitimate differences of opinion exist.
	16.	Make all reasonable efforts to avoid bias in any kind of professional evaluation and provide objective evaluation of candidates for professional association membership, awards, scholarships, or job advancements.
645—81.4(152A) Requirements for licensure. The following criteria shall apply to licensure:
	81.4(1) The applicant shall complete a board-approved application packet. Application forms may be obtained from the board’s Web site (http://www.idph.state.ia.us/licensure) or directly from the board office. All applications shall be sent to Board of Dietetic Examiners, Professional Licensure Division, Fifth Floor, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075.
	81.4(2) The applicant shall complete the application form according to the instructions contained in the application. If the application is not completed according to the instructions, the application will not be reviewed by the board.
	81.4(3) Each application shall be accompanied by the appropriate fees payable by check or money order to the Board of Dietetic Examiners. The fees are nonrefundable.
	81.4(4) No application will be considered by the board until:
	a. 	Official copies of academic transcripts have been sent directly from the school to the board;
	b. 	Official verification statements from the didactic and internship or preprofessional practice programs have been sent to the board; and
	c. 	The applicant satisfactorily completes the registration examination for dietitians administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. The board will accept the passing score set by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Verification of satisfactory completion may be established by sending a notarized copy of the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) card or an official letter sent directly from CDR to the board to verify that the applicant holds registration status.
	81.4(5) A license is not required for dietitians who are in this state for the purpose of consultation when they are licensed in another state, U.S. possession, or country, or have received at least a baccalaureate degree in human nutrition from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university. Consultation means the practice of dietetics in affiliation with, and at the request of, a dietitian licensed in this state.
	81.4(6) Incomplete applications that have been on file in the board office for more than two years shall be considered invalid and shall be destroyed.
645—81.5(152A) Educational qualifications.
	81.5(1) The applicant shall be issued a license to practice dietetics by the board when the applicant possesses a baccalaureate degree or postbaccalaureate degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university with a major course of study in human nutrition, food and nutrition, nutrition education, dietetics, or food systems management, or in an equivalent major course of minimum academic requirements as established by the American Dietetic Association and approved by the board.
	81.5(2) Foreign-trained dietitians shall:
	a. 	Provide an equivalency evaluation of their educational credentials by International Educational Research Foundations, Inc., Credentials Evaluation Service, P.O. Box 3665, Culver City, CA 90231-3665, telephone (310)258-9451, Web site www.ierf.org, or E-mail at info@ierf.org. The professional curriculum must be equivalent to that stated in these rules. A candidate shall bear the expense of the curriculum evaluation.
	b. 	Provide a notarized copy of the certificate or diploma awarded to the applicant from a dietetic program in the country in which the applicant was educated.
	c. 	Receive a final determination from the board regarding the application for licensure.
645—81.6(152A) Supervised experience. The applicant shall:
	81.6(1) Complete a documented supervised practice experience component in a dietetic practice of not less than 900 hours under the supervision of:
	a. 	A registered dietitian;
	b. 	A licensed dietitian; or
	c. 	An individual with a doctoral degree conferred by a U.S. regionally accredited college or university with a major course of study in human nutrition, nutrition education, food and nutrition, dietetics or food systems management; and
	81.6(2) Have a supervised practice experience that was completed:
	a. 	In the United States or its territories; or
	b. 	Under the supervision of a person who obtained a doctoral degree outside the United States or its territories, which has been validated as equivalent to the doctoral degree conferred by a U.S. regionally accredited college or university.
645—81.7(152A) Licensure by endorsement. An applicant who has been a licensed dietitian under the laws of another jurisdiction shall file an application for licensure by endorsement with the board office. The board may receive by endorsement any applicant from the District of Columbia or another state, territory, province or foreign country who:
	1.	Submits to the board a completed application;
	2.	Pays the licensure fee;
	3.	Shows evidence of licensure requirements that are similar to those required in Iowa;
	4.	Provides official copies of the academic transcripts;
	5.	Provides a copy of the registration card; and
	6.	Provides verification of license(s) from every jurisdiction in which the applicant has been licensed, sent directly from the jurisdiction(s) to the board office. Web-based verification may be substituted for verification direct from the jurisdiction’s board office if the verification provides:
	●	Licensee’s name;
	●	Date of initial licensure;
	●	Current licensure status; and
	●	Any disciplinary action taken against the license.
645—81.8(152A) Licensure by reciprocal agreement. The board may enter into a reciprocal agreement with the District of Columbia or any state, territory, province or foreign country with equal or similar requirements for licensure of dietitians. The applicant shall take the examination required by the board.
645—81.9(152A) License renewal.
	81.9(1) The biennial license renewal period for a license to practice dietetics shall begin on the sixteenth day of the licensee’s birth month and end on the fifteenth day of the licensee’s birth month two years later. The board shall send a renewal notice by regular mail to each licensee at the address on record at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the license. The licensee is responsible for renewing the license prior to its expiration. Failure of the licensee to receive the notice does not relieve the licensee of the responsibility for renewing the license.
	81.9(2) An initial license issued by the board may be valid for an 18- to 29-month period. When an initial license is renewed, it will be placed on a two-year renewal period identified in subrule 81.9(1).
	81.9(3) A licensee seeking renewal shall:
	a. 	Meet the continuing education requirements of rule 645—82.2(152A) and the mandatory reporting requirements of subrule 81.9(4). A licensee whose license was reactivated during the current renewal compliance period may use continuing education credit earned during the compliance period for the first renewal following reactivation; and
	b. 	Submit the completed renewal application and renewal fee before the license expiration date.
	81.9(4) Mandatory reporter training requirements.
	a. 	A licensee who, in the scope of professional practice or in the licensee’s employment responsibilities, examines, attends, counsels or treats children in Iowa shall indicate on the renewal application completion of two hours of training in child abuse identification and reporting in the previous five years or condition(s) for waiver of this requirement as identified in paragraph “e.”
	b. 	A licensee who, in the course of employment, examines, attends, counsels or treats adults in Iowa shall indicate on the renewal application completion of two hours of training in dependent adult abuse identification and reporting in the previous five years or condition(s) for waiver of this requirement as identified in paragraph “e.”
	c. 	A licensee who, in the scope of professional practice or in the course of employment, examines, attends, counsels or treats both adults and children in Iowa shall indicate on the renewal application completion of training in abuse identification and reporting for dependent adults and children in the previous five years or condition(s) for waiver of this requirement as identified in paragraph “e.”
Training may be completed through separate courses as identified in paragraphs “a” and “b” or in one combined two-hour course that includes curricula for identifying and reporting child abuse and dependent adult abuse. The course shall be a curriculum approved by the Iowa department of public health abuse education review panel.
	d. 	The licensee shall maintain written documentation for five years after mandatory training as identified in paragraphs “a” to “c,” including program date(s), content, duration, and proof of participation.
	e. 	The requirement for mandatory training for identifying and reporting child and dependent adult abuse shall be suspended if the board determines that suspension is in the public interest or that a person at the time of license renewal:
	(1)	Is engaged in active duty in the military service of this state or the United States.
	(2)	Holds a current waiver by the board based on evidence of significant hardship in complying with training requirements, including an exemption of continuing education requirements or extension of time in which to fulfill requirements due to a physical or mental disability or illness as identified in 645—Chapter 82.
	f. 	The board may select licensees for audit of compliance with the requirements in paragraphs “a” to “e.”
	81.9(5) Upon receiving the information required by this rule and the required fee, board staff shall administratively issue a two-year license and shall send the licensee a wallet card by regular mail. In the event the board receives adverse information on the renewal application, the board shall issue the renewal license but may refer the adverse information for further consideration or disciplinary investigation.
	81.9(6) A person licensed to practice dietetics shall keep the license certificate and wallet card(s) displayed in a conspicuous public place at the primary site of practice.
	81.9(7) Late renewal. The license shall become late when the license has not been renewed by the expiration date on the wallet card. The licensee shall be assessed a late fee as specified in 645—subrule 84.1(3). To renew a late license, the licensee shall complete the renewal requirements and submit the late fee within the grace period.
	81.9(8) Inactive license. A licensee who fails to renew the license by the end of the grace period has an inactive license. A licensee whose license is inactive continues to hold the privilege of licensure in Iowa, but may not practice as a dietitian in Iowa until the license is reactivated. A licensee who practices as a dietitian in the state of Iowa with an inactive license may be subject to disciplinary action by the board, injunctive action pursuant to Iowa Code section 147.83, criminal sanctions pursuant to Iowa Code section 147.86, and other available legal remedies.
	81.9(9) Renewal of a reactivated license. A licensee who reactivates the license in accordance with rule 645—81.15(17A,147,272C) will not be required to renew the license until the next renewal two years later if the license is reactivated within six months prior to the license renewal date.
645—81.10(272C) Exemptions for inactive practitioners. Rescinded IAB 7/6/05, effective 8/10/05.
645—81.11(147) Duplicate certificate or wallet card.
	81.11(1) A duplicate wallet card or duplicate certificate shall be required if the current wallet card or certificate is lost, stolen or destroyed. A duplicate wallet card or a duplicate certificate shall be issued only under such circumstances.
	81.11(2) A duplicate wallet card or duplicate certificate shall be issued upon receipt of the completed application for duplicate license and payment of the fee as specified in rule 645—84.1(147,152A).
	81.11(3) If the board receives a completed application for a duplicate license stating that the wallet card or certificate was not received within 60 days after being mailed by the board, no fee shall be required for issuing the duplicate wallet card or duplicate certificate.
645—81.12(147) Reissued certificate or wallet card. The board shall reissue a certificate or current wallet card upon receipt of a written request from the licensee, return of the original document and payment of the fee as specified in rule 645—84.1(147,152A).
645—81.13(272C) Lapsed licenses. Rescinded IAB 7/6/05, effective 8/10/05.
645—81.14(17A,147,272C) License denial.
	81.14(1) When the board denies an applicant licensure, the board shall notify the applicant of the denial in writing by certified mail, return receipt requested, or in the manner of service of an original notice, and shall cite the reasons for which the application was denied.
	81.14(2) An applicant who has been denied licensure by the board may appeal the denial and request a hearing on the issues related to the licensure denial by serving a written notice of appeal and request for hearing upon the board by certified mail, return receipt requested, not more than 30 days following the date of mailing of the notification of licensure denial to the applicant. The request for hearing shall specifically describe the facts to be contested and determined at the hearing.
	81.14(3) If an applicant who has been denied licensure by the board appeals the licensure denial and requests a hearing pursuant to this rule, the hearing and subsequent procedures shall be held pursuant to the process outlined in Iowa Code chapters 17A and 272C and 645—Chapter 11.
645—81.15(17A,147,272C) License reactivation. To apply for reactivation of an inactive license, a licensee shall:
	81.15(1) Submit a reactivation application on a form provided by the board.
	81.15(2) Pay the reactivation fee that is due as specified in 645—subrule 84.1(4).
	81.15(3) Provide verification of current competence to practice dietetics by satisfying one of the following criteria:
	a. 	If the license has been on inactive status for five years or less, an applicant must provide the following:
	(1)	Verification of the license(s) from every jurisdiction in which the applicant is or has been licensed and is or has been practicing during the time period the Iowa license was inactive, sent directly from the jurisdiction(s) to the board office. Web-based verification may be substituted for verification from a jurisdiction’s board office if the verification includes:
	1.	Licensee’s name;
	2.	Date of initial licensure;
	3.	Current licensure status; and
	4.	Any disciplinary action taken against the license.
	(2)	Verification of completion of 30 hours of continuing education within two years of the application for reactivation.
	b. 	If the license has been on inactive status for more than five years, an applicant must provide the following:
	(1)	Verification of the license(s) from every jurisdiction in which the applicant is or has been licensed and is or has been practicing during the time period the Iowa license was inactive, sent directly from the jurisdiction(s) to the board office. Web-based verification may be substituted for verification from a jurisdiction’s board office if the verification includes:
	1.	Licensee’s name;
	2.	Date of initial licensure;
	3.	Current licensure status; and
	4.	Any disciplinary action taken against the license.
	(2)	Verification of completion of 60 hours of continuing education within two years of application for reactivation.
645—81.16(17A,147,272C) License reinstatement. A licensee whose license has been revoked, suspended, or voluntarily surrendered must apply for and receive reinstatement of the license in accordance with 645—11.31(272C) and must apply for and be granted reactivation of the license in accordance with 81.15(17A,147,272C) prior to practicing dietetics in this state.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code chapters 17A, 147, 152A and 272C.
[Filed emergency 4/4/86—published 4/23/86, effective 4/4/86]
[Filed 2/17/87, Notice 10/8/86—published 3/11/87, effective 4/15/87]
[Filed 4/29/88, Notice 3/23/88—published 5/18/88, effective 6/22/88]
[Filed 10/27/88, Notice 8/24/88—published 11/16/88, effective 12/21/88]
[Filed 9/29/89, Notice 7/26/89—published 10/18/89, effective 11/22/89]
[Filed 5/11/90, Notice 4/4/90—published 5/30/90, effective 7/4/90]
[Filed 10/11/91, Notice 8/21/91—published 10/30/91, effective 12/4/91]
[Filed 4/23/92, Notice 3/4/92—published 5/13/92, effective 6/17/92]
[Filed emergency 7/6/92—published 7/22/92, effective 7/6/92]
[Filed 4/7/95, Notice 1/4/95—published 4/26/95, effective 5/31/95]
[Filed 11/25/98, Notice 10/21/98—published 12/16/98, effective 1/20/99]
[Filed 6/11/99, Notice 4/7/99—published 6/30/99, effective 8/4/99]
[Filed 12/23/99, Notice 10/6/99—published 1/12/00, effective 2/16/00]
[Filed 10/13/00, Notice 8/23/00—published 11/1/00, effective 12/6/00]
[Filed 8/30/01, Notice 5/30/01—published 9/19/01, effective 10/24/01]
[Filed 6/7/02, Notice 4/3/02—published 6/26/02, effective 7/31/02]
[Filed 6/19/03, Notice 4/2/03—published 7/9/03, effective 8/13/03]
[Filed 6/17/04, Notice 3/31/04—published 7/7/04, effective 8/11/04]
[Filed 6/15/05, Notice 3/30/05—published 7/6/05, effective 8/10/05]
[Filed 12/2/05, Notice 10/12/05—published 1/4/06, effective 2/8/06]