COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 4291
(By Delegates Amores, Perdue, Long, Foster and Trump)
(Originating in the Committee on Government Organization)
[February 25, 2004]
A BILL to amend and reenact §30-1-7a of the code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to continuing education
requirements for licensed healthcare professionals on the
subject of end-of-life care training, including pain
management coursework.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §30-1-7a of the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL STATE BOARDS OF
EXAMINATION OR REGISTRATION REFERRED TO IN CHAPTER.
§30-1-7a. Continuing education.
(a) Each board referred to in this chapter shall establish
continuing education requirements as a prerequisite to license
renewal. Each board shall develop continuing education criteria
appropriate to its discipline, which shall include, but not be limited to, course content, course approval, hours required and
reporting periods.
(b)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code or
the provision of any rule to the contrary, each person issued a
license to practice medicine and surgery or a license to practice
podiatry or a license as a physician assistant by the West Virginia
board of medicine, each person licensed as a pharmacist by the West
Virginia board of pharmacy, each person licensed to practice
registered professional nursing or licensed as an advanced nurse
practitioner by the West Virginia board of examiners for registered
professional nurses, each person licensed as a licensed practical
nurse by the West Virginia state board of examiners for licensed
practical nurses and each person licensed to practice medicine and
surgery as an osteopathic physician and surgeon or certified as an
osteopathic physician assistant by the West Virginia board of
osteopathy shall complete two hours of continuing education
coursework in the subject of end-of-life care including pain
management during each continuing education reporting period
through the reporting period ending the thirtieth day of June, two
thousand five. The two hours shall be part of the total hours of
continuing education required by each board by rule and not two
additional hours.
(2) Effective as of the reporting period beginning the first
day of July, two thousand five, the coursework requirement imposed
by this subsection will become a one-time requirement, and all
licensees who have not completed the coursework requirement shall complete the coursework requirement prior to his or her first
license renewal.