Continuing Education

Washington State dental hygienists are required to complete 15 clock hours of continuing education (CE) annually. WAC 246-815-140

Department of Health, Dental Hygiene Program. Interpretive Statement – Health Equity Continuing Education for Dental Hygienists. | HSQA OHP DH2301. Filed as WSR 24-02-026.

RCW 18.29.060 License Issuance – Display

Upon passing an examination and meeting the requirements as provided in RCW 18.29.060, the secretary of health shall issue to the successful applicant a license as dental hygienist. The license shall be displayed in a conspicuous place in the operation room where such licensee shall practice.

Basic Life Support for the Healthcare Provider

Dental Hygienists are required to keep a current BLS for the Healthcare provider card in order to renew their credential. Please see WAC 246-815-140(2)(b) for further information.

3-23-20 CE Clarification

2024 UPDATE: Health Equity

Beginning January 1, 2024, a licensed Dental Hygienist must complete two hours of health equity CE every four years.

Department of Health, Dental Hygiene Program. Interpretive Statement – Health Equity Continuing Education for Dental Hygienists. | HSQA OHP DH2301. Filed as WSR 24-02-026.

Continuing education is defined as any of the following activities:

(a) Continuing education courses offered or authorized by industry-recognized local, state, private, national, and international organizations, agencies or institutions of higher learning. Examples of sponsors or types of continuing education courses may include, but are not limited to:

(b) (i) The Washington State Dental Association, American Dental Association, National Dental Association, Washington Dental Hygienists' Association, American Dental Hygienists' Association, National Dental Hygienists' Association, including the constituent and component/branch societies;

(ii) BLS for health care providers, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)/Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA), or emergency related training such as courses offered or authorized by the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society, or any other organizations or agencies;

(iii) Self-study through study clubs, books, research materials, or other publications. The required documentation for this activity is a summary of what was learned, not to exceed five hours per year;

(iv) Distance learning. Distance learning includes, but is not limited to: Correspondence course, webinar, audio/video broadcasting, audio/video teleconferencing, computer aided instruction, e-learning/online-learning, or computer broadcasting/webcasting that includes an assessment tool upon completion;

(v) A licensee who serves as an educator or who lectures in continuing education programs or courses, that contribute to the professional knowledge of a licensed dental hygienist may accumulate hours for the content preparation of the program or course, not to exceed ten hours per year;

(vi) Attendance at a continuing education program with a featured speaker(s);

(vii) Courses relating to practice organization and management, medical/dental insurance courses, or retirement, not to exceed five hours per year;

(viii) Dental hygiene examination standardization/calibration workshops and dental hygiene examination item writer workshops, not to exceed ten hours per year;

(ix) Provision of clinical dental hygiene services in a documented volunteer capacity when preceded by educational/instructional training prior to provision of services, not to exceed five hours per year. Volunteering must be without compensation and under appropriate supervision;

(x) A licensee who serves as a public health official or employee, contractor for a state or local health agency, community prevention education expert, or works in a field that relates to prevention activities in public health dentistry, may accumulate hours for the content preparation of providing services, education, or training to the underserved, rural, and at risk populations, not to exceed five hours per year; and

(xi) College courses.

The Department of Health may randomly audit up to twenty-five percent of practitioners for compliance with the continuing education requirements after the credential is renewed as allowed by chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 7.

---

From the DQAC November 2020 Newsletter:

One of the most common questions the DOH gets is “What is the difference between self-study and distance learning?” Self-study courses are limited to five CEs per renewal period, while all 15 CEs can be taken by distance learning. The short answer is that distance learning courses require some sort of assessment, quiz, or test at the end of the course. Courses taken online, by webinar, or even by audio/video broadcasting are considered distance learning as long as there is a quiz at the end. Self-study CEs are usually earned by studying books, journals, publications, or other research that does not have a test on course information. To count the self-study hours, you must provide some additional information: the date the self-study was completed, a short bibliography describing where the information was found, a summary of the information learned, and the number of CEs the course is worth.

For more information, visit the Washington State Department of Health's dental hygienist continuing education web page.

---

Beginning January 1, 2021 and no later than June 30, 2021, health care professionals, who offer telemedicine services to patients must complete telemedicine training. To learn more about the different training options available and access additional resources, please visit the Washington State Telehealth Collaborative Training webpage. To participate in any of these free trainings you will need to enroll and create a Canvas account by accessing the Washington State Medical Professional Telemedicine Training.

The law refers to the definition of telemedicine as “the delivery of health care services through the use of interactive audio and video technology, permitting real-time communication between the patient at the originating site and the provider, for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation, or treatment. “Telemedicine” does not include the use of audio-only telephone, facsimile, or email.”

Upcoming CE Events or CE Resources:

For the most current WDHA sponsored CEs please check our calendar.

Suicide Prevention Training for Health Professionals 2017 Model List

ADHA Online CE Courses

ADHA offers a wide selection of convenient online continuing education courses in easy-to-use self-paced modules. Each course is followed by a post-test that can be completed and submitted online, by fax or by mail. Course fees are noted, $18 (ADHA members), $30 (non-members) or free. Courses range from 2 to 4 CE units per course. Successful participants will be awarded either 2 or 4 CE units for each course, as noted. To begin, simply click on the highlighted text for each course below. Follow the program instructions to complete the course module, payment and post-test submission. Immediately following submission of the post-test for all CDE World courses, tests are scored and successful participants are immediately provided a CE certificate. For all other courses, you will receive confirmation of your score and a CE certificate via email within four weeks of your test submission. A minimum test score of 80% is required for successful completion of all courses.

Self-Paced Courses

Dental Hygiene Education

Diet and Nutrition

Working with Vulnerable Populations

Clinical Practice and Research

Working with Older Adults

Interprofessional Work

COVID-19: Training for Healthcare Workers

Stanford University: Free