CLEAR

President's Report to the CLEAR Membership by Budd Hetrick

The last twelve months have been a time of growth and renewal for CLEAR and it has been a privilege to lead this extraordinary organization during this important year. The accompanying list of activities gives a flavor of the range of work being undertaken by CLEAR, and I thank all those involved with these initiatives, as the CLEAR community truly engages in Promoting Regulatory Excellence. To those not yet involved with CLEAR’s committees, I encourage you to consider becoming so. The next twelve months will offer many opportunities to learn from, and share with, one another as we continue to promote public protection through our work.

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Wyoming: denturism not allowed

The state supreme court has ordered a Wyoming denturist who practiced his unlicensed trade openly for 15 years to stop because he is violating the state's dental practice act. A bill to license denturists under the Wyoming Dental Examiners Board did not make it out of committee during the past legislative session. The sponsor, Representative Lorraine Quarberg, says the board may not want to licensure denturists, so she will resubmit the bill proposing a separate denturism board. Read more.        Vollan v. WY Bd. Dent. Exam.

Ontario: teacher licensing review

The Ontario College of Teachers, the largest regulatory body in the province, is reviewing  its licensing process. This follows 2006 legislation amending the Ontario College of  Teachers Act to emphasize that the licensing process for teachers be transparenent and fair to international applicants and others.The college will solicit input from all stakeholders,  including recently licensed teachers and unsuccessful applicants. Read more.

Hawaii: psychologists prescriptive authority bill vetoed

Citing opposition to the measure from both the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Psychology, Governor Lingle vetoed a bill to give psychologists the authority to prescribe psychotropic medications. The psychology board did not want to assume oversight of the expanded scope and the medical board questioned whether sufficient educational preparation was required by the bill. The legislature will not override the veto. Read more.

Northwest Territories: outpost nursing program

The CNW Group reports that the Government of the Northwest Territories is taking steps to ensure full-time, career advancement opportunities are available to nurses from across Canada at the same time as the Canadian Nurses Association is projecting 15 percent of new nursing graduates will not find employment. Read the newswire report and watch video.
The Community Health Nurse Development Program

Washington: sunrise reviews underway

The Washington State Department of Health has issued notice of two sunrise reviews, one on speech-language pathologist assistants, the other on colon hydrotherapists. Public comment is currently being solicited and evaluated. Read the letters requesting sunrise review, the draft bills, and the applicant reports on the Health Sunrise Review Page.

West Virginia: acupuncture performance review

The West Virginia Auditor's Regulatory Board Review: Board of Acupuncture concludes that the continued licensure of the profession is necessary to protect the public. The 2006 board report says it licenses 47 practitioners, 21 of whom are resident in West Virginia.

Texas: Structural Pest Control Board abolished

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has released its Summary of Sunset Legislation 80th Legislature. Following the commission's recommendations, the state legislature abolished the Structural Pest Control Board, transferring its functions to the Texas Department of Agriculture. Other agencies included in this review are the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners and the Texas Real Estate Commission. The Sunset Advisory Commission uses the Texas Sunset Occupational Licensing Model to evaluate professional and occupational regulation programs.

California: medical board abolishes diversion program

Following a series of negative reports on its confidential diversion program, the California Medical Board is discontinuing the option. Under the program, participating doctors are permitted to continue practice while undergoing prescribed treatment and monitoring. Julianne D'Angelo Fellmeth, with the University of San Diego's Center for Public Interest Law, and author of one of the reports, says “The program simply does not monitor these drug-or alcohol-abusing doctors adequately, thus exposing patients to unacceptable risks.” Read more.
Medical Board of California's Physicial Diversion Program (June 2007 audit report)

UK: competence of foreign doctors challenged

The General Medical Council's finding that foreign-trained doctors are disciplined twice as often as UK medical graduates has prompted a flurry of projects designed to determine the reason. Different researchers will evaluate many factors including the appropriateness of the current rules for registration and whether institutional racism plays a part in this situation. Read more.