Utah CE Information

The following contains helpful information for Utah optometrists needing to renew their licenses.

Continuing Education Requirements in Utah:

(1) Under Section 58-16a-304, the standards for the 30 hours of qualified continuing professional education required during each two-year licensure cycle are established in this section.
(2) Except as provided in Subsection (3), continuing professional education shall consist of:
    (a) courses approved by:
         (i) the Council on Professional Education (COPE);
         (ii) the American Optometry Association (AOA); or
         (iii) the Optometry Licensing Board; or
    (b) optometry-related courses approved by the Council on Medical Education.
(3) In addition to completing approved courses, a licensee may obtain continuing professional education hours as follows:
    (a) up to two hours through courses in certification or recertification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or Basic Life Support (BCLS);
    (b) up to two hours through Division training regarding use of the Utah Controlled Substance Database; or
    (c) up to 15% (4.5 hours) by providing volunteer health care services under Section 58-13-3, with one hour of credit for every four documented hours of volunteer services.
(4) A licensee may not carry over hours exceeding their 30-hour requirement from one licensure cycle to another licensure cycle.
(5) If a licensee first becomes licensed during the two-year licensure cycle, the licensee’s required number of hours shall be decreased proportionately according to the date of licensure.
(6) The Division may defer or waive continuing professional education requirements for a licensee in accordance with Section R156-1-308d.
(7) A licensee who is a controlled substance prescriber shall obtain their controlled substance prescribing continuing education hours in accordance with Sections 58-37-6.5 and R156-37-402.
(8) A licensee shall maintain documentation sufficient to prove compliance with this section for two years after the end of the licensure cycle for which the continuing professional education is due.

For New Graduates:

CE's for a newly licensed Optometrist are prorated.

See section 5 above.

How many Continuing Education Credits required will be dependent on the month in which the license was issued. The licensee will take the total hours of CE's required (30), divide it by the usual months in a renewal cycle (24), and multiply by the actual amount of months the license has been active to determine how many credits they will need.

Controlled Substance Courses:

1) The DEA has a requirement of a one-time 8-hour training for your DEA license. You need to attest that you have completed the coursework when you renew but you will not need to send certificates. This 8-hour training can be done at one setting or over multiple courses. Any Opioid training you have done in the past to satisfy the state opioid training requirements can be used. For example, you have completed the state opioid requirements for the past three license renewal cycles, that is 9 hours, you have therefore satisfied the federal DEA requirement.

2) Utah has an ongoing Opioid training requirement that must be completed each license renewal cycle. We must complete 3 hours of Opioid education each renewal cycle. 2 of those 3 hours can be used towards our 30 hours of CE that are required every two years.

3) Utah has a new requirement (SBIRT) that MUST be completed prior to our 2026 license renewal...so this renewal cycle or the next one. It only needs to be done one time and this course will satisfy the 3-hour requirement in 2) but only for the renewal cycle in which you complete the SBIRT course.

Again, remember, these requirements are only for those that maintain a CS Utah certificate and have controlled substance prescribing rights.

The approved SBIRT course and other approved courses are found on the DOPL website through the following link: DOPL Approved Continuing Education for Prescribers

UMA Controlled Substances: Education for the Prescriber

Renew your license in Utah:

Licenses expire on September 30 of even years.
At least 60 days prior to the expiration date of a license, DOPL will email a renewal notice to the licensee's email address of record as provided to DOPL by the individual licensee. (Failure to notify DOPL of an address change could prevent a licensee from timely receiving renewal notification and other important correspondence from DOPL.)
Renewal Fees — Optometrist $93 | Optometrist with CS $171

Renew your Utah Optometry License Here

Here are a few helpful links:

Utah Optometry Laws and Rules