Pursuant to the Medicines Act 1981 and the Medicines (Designated Prescriber: Optometrists) Regulations 2005, the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board (“the board”), gives the following notice.
N o t i c e
1. Title and commencement—This notice is the Medicines (Designated Prescriber: Optometrists) Notice 2005 and comes into force on 1 October 2005.
2. The purpose—The Schedule to this notice sets out the requirements that the board has determined must be met by optometrists who wish to prescribe prescription medicines. These requirements are imposed under Regulations 6, 7 and 8 of the Medicines (Designated Prescriber: Optometrists) Regulations 2005.
Schedule
A. Requirements for commencing for the first time to prescribe (Regulation 6)
(1) The board’s requirements for qualifications that optometrist prescribers must undertake before commencing prescribing for the first time are
the qualifications required for registration within the Optometrist with Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agent (TPA) endorsement scope of practice as published in
the New Zealand Gazette, 10 February 2005, No. 34, page 878.
(2) The board’s requirements for qualifications that
educator optometrist prescribers must undertake before commencing prescribing for the first time are
the qualifications required for registration within the Educator in Optometry (Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agent (TPA)) endorsement scope of practice as
published in the New Zealand Gazette, 10 February 2005, No. 34, page 878.
B. Ongoing training to be undertaken (Regulation 7)
Optometrists authorised to prescribe within the scope of practice of optometry therapeutic pharmaceutical agent endorsement must each registration year obtain, and
provide to the board evidence of, 25 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, 10 of which must be categorised as appropriate for TPA endorsed optometrists as determined by the board’s CPD accreditation committee.
C. Competence assessment (Regulation 8)
Optometrists authorised to prescribe within the scope of practice of educator optometry therapeutic pharmaceutical agent endorsement, must each registration year submit
a portfolio of prepared and presented material for consideration by the board’s CPD accreditation committee.
DENISE NELSON, Registrar.