Senate Bill sb0572c1

    Florida Senate - 2003                            CS for SB 572

    By the Committee on Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care; and
    Senator Fasano




    317-1820-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to dental licensure

  3         examinations; amending s. 466.006, F.S.;

  4         allowing certain dental students to take the

  5         examination required for practicing dentistry

  6         in this state; creating s. 466.0065, F.S.;

  7         allowing certain dental students to take

  8         regional licensure examinations under specified

  9         conditions; restricting the applicability of

10         examination results; requiring approval by the

11         Board of Dentistry and providing prerequisites

12         to such approval; providing an effective.

13

14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

15

16         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 466.006, Florida

17  Statutes, is amended to read:

18         466.006  Examination of dentists.--

19         (2)  An applicant shall be entitled to take the

20  examinations required in this section to practice dentistry in

21  this state if the applicant:

22         (a)  Is 18 years of age or older.

23         (b)1.  Is a graduate of a dental school accredited by

24  the Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental

25  Association or its successor agency, if any, or any other

26  nationally recognized accrediting agency; or.

27         2.  Is a dental student in the final year of such an

28  accredited school and has completed all the coursework

29  necessary to prepare him or her to perform the clinical and

30  didactic procedures required to pass the examination. With

31  respect to a dental student in his or her final year of dental

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    Florida Senate - 2003                            CS for SB 572
    317-1820-03




  1  school, a passing score on the examination is valid for 180

  2  days after the date the examination was completed. Pursuant to

  3  s. 466.011, a dental student who takes the licensure

  4  examination during his or her final year of an approved dental

  5  school must have graduated before being certified for

  6  licensure.

  7         (c)  Has successfully completed the National Board of

  8  Dental Examiners dental examination within 10 years before of

  9  the date of application.

10         Section 2.  Section 466.0065, Florida Statutes, is

11  created to read:

12         466.0065  Regional licensure examinations.--

13         (1)  It is the intent of the Legislature that schools

14  of dentistry be allowed to offer regional licensure

15  examinations to dental students who are in the final year of

16  an approved dental school for the sole purpose of facilitating

17  the student's licensing in other jurisdictions. This section

18  does not allow a person to be licensed as a dentist in this

19  state without taking the examination as set forth in s.

20  466.006 nor does this section mean that regional examinations

21  administered under this section may be substituted for

22  complying with testing requirements under s. 466.006.

23         (2)  Each school of dentistry in this state which is

24  accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American

25  Dental Association or its successor agency may, upon written

26  approval by the Board of Dentistry, offer regional licensure

27  examinations only to dental students in the final year of an

28  approved dental school, if the board has determined that the

29  dental school hosting the examination will comply with the

30  following conditions:

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    Florida Senate - 2003                            CS for SB 572
    317-1820-03




  1         (a)  The examining body must be a member of the

  2  American Association of Dental Examiners.

  3         (b)  The student must have successfully completed parts

  4  I and II of the National Board of Dental Examiners

  5  examination within 2 years before taking the regional

  6  examination.

  7         (c)  The student must possess medical malpractice

  8  insurance in amounts that the board determines to be

  9  sufficient to cover any reasonably forseeable incident of harm

10  to a patient during the clinical portion of the examination.

11         (d)  The examination must be monitored by dentists

12  licensed in this state who are approved by the board and who

13  have completed a mandatory standardization exercise before

14  each practical or clinical examination.

15         (e)  Adequate arrangements must be made, when

16  necessary, for patients who require followup care as a result

17  of procedures performed during the clinical portion of the

18  examination.

19         (f)  The board chairman or the chairman's designee must

20  be allowed to observe testing while it is in progress.

21         (g)  Each student, upon applying to take the regional

22  examination, must receive written disclosure in at least

23  12-point boldface type which states: "This examination does

24  not meet the licensure requirements of chapter 466, Florida

25  Statutes, for  licensure in the State of Florida. Persons

26  wishing to practice dentistry in Florida must pass the Florida

27  licensure examination. For more information on Florida's

28  licensure examination procedures, please contact the Florida

29  Board of Dentistry."

30         (h)  The student must be enrolled as a dental student

31  in his or her final year of an approved dental school that is

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    Florida Senate - 2003                            CS for SB 572
    317-1820-03




  1  accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American

  2  Dental Association or its successor agency.

  3         (i)  The student must have completed all the coursework

  4  necessary to prepare him or her to perform all clinical and

  5  didactic procedures required to pass the examination.

  6         (j)  The student's academic record must not include any

  7  evidence suggesting that the student poses an unreasonable

  8  risk to any live patients who are required for the clinical

  9  examination. In order to protect the health and safety of the

10  residents of this state, the board may request additional

11  information and documents pertaining to the candidate's mental

12  and physical health in order to fully assess the candidate's

13  fitness to engage in exercises involving a live patient.

14         (3)  A student who takes a regional examination

15  pursuant to this section does not have standing to assert that

16  a state agency has taken action for which a hearing may be

17  sought under ss. 120.569 and 120.57.

18         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

19

20          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
21                              SB 572

22

23  The Committee Substitute revises references to
    "second-semester seniors" to "students in the final year of
24  attendance." The bill revises requirements for dental students
    to sit for the state dental licensure examination and to
25  become licensed by:

26  -     restricting the validity of a student's passing score on
          the state dental licensure examination to 180 days after
27        the date the examination was completed; and

28  -     requiring the student to have graduated before he or she
          may be certified for licensure.
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