New Mexico Register / Volume XXXVII,
Issue 14 / July 28, 2026
This is an amendment to 16.16.13
NMAC, Section 8 effective 7/28/2026.
16.16.13.8 CONTINUING
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: A minimum of 22
clock-hours of optometry related, board approved continuing education or postgraduate programs, are required
for license renewal each year beginning July 1, as
detailed below.
A. The continuing education shall be submitted as follows:
(1) at least 10 of the 22 hours of continuing education must be in a board approved
program in clinical or ocular therapeutic pharmacology; and
(2) at least one of the 22 hours
of continuing education must be in a board approved course in pain management or related
topic pursuant to 16.16.15.11 NMAC. This
requirement shall begin with the 2015 renewal period beginning July 2, 2014.
B. For optometrists on inactive status,
a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education in a board
approved program in clinical or ocular therapeutic pharmacology is required.
C. The continuing education
must have been taken within the preceding renewal period (i.e. July 2 of
one year through June 30 of the next).
D. The board may audit any licensee’s continuing education documentation for the current
licensing year and the two previous years.
E. A licensee who receives a notice of audit shall submit to the board office on or before
July 1, unless otherwise
specified, evidence of continuing education hours for the requested period.
F. [A licensee will be placed on expired status if the
licensee fails to meet the continuing education requirements for renewal by the
expiration date stated in the rule.] A licensee who submits records or a
sworn affidavit on their renewal application to demonstrate compliance with
continuing education requirements but is found to be noncompliant during a
random audit will be subject to fines and other penalties determined
appropriate by the board.
G. [Reactivation
of license expired due to non-renewal for failure to meet the continuing
education requirement. The licensee may
apply for license reactivation in the same manner as provided in Part 11
of 16.16 NMAC. The continuing
education and fees will be calculated based on the number of years the license
was expired due to non-renewal for failure to meet the continuing education
requirement.] A license will be placed
on expired status if the licensee fails to meet the continuing education requirements for renewal by the expiration date stated
in this rule.
H. [Newly licensed optometrists who graduated from
optometry school within the same year of licensure may submit the completed
curriculum of their last year of optometry school to meet their continuing
education requirement the first year of renewal.]Reactivation of license expired due to non-renewal for
failure to meet the continuing education requirement. The licensee may apply for license reactivation in the same
manner as provided in 16.16.11 NMAC. The continuing education and fees will be calculated based
on the number of years the license
was expired due to non-renewal for failure to meet the continuing
education requirement.
I. Newly licensed optometrists who graduated from optometry school
within the same year of
licensure may submit the completed curriculum of their last year of optometry school
to meet their continuing
education requirement the first year of renewal.
[11/17/1973; 2/6/1987;
10/14/1995; 10/15/1997; 2/15/1999; 16.16.13.8 NMAC - Rn, 16 NMAC 16.13.8,
03/15/2001; A, 03/15/2004; A 03/22/2008; A, 07/06/2012; A, 04/24/2014; A, 03/02/2016; A, 05/29/2019; A, 07/28/2026]