TUNE IN NOW: LICENSURE REFORM

ALL LICENSURE PATHWAYS NOW ACCEPTED IN COLORADO FOLLOWING A STATE DENTAL BOARD POLICY AMENDMENT

DENVER, Colorado—The Colorado Dental Board voted to amend their licensure policy to accept all existing licensure pathways including all regional clinical examinations, PGY-1, hybrid-portfolio, and the OSCE.

ASDA has been working for some time now to make changes to the current licensure model that includes the use of live-patient exams. Little by little, steps have been taken in Colorado to ensure that this change would happen.

In 2013, DORA released a document as part of the Sunset Review stating that one of their top 3 “Key Recommendations” was to revise the clinical examination requirements for the state in order to allow acceptance of alternative licensure pathways including those that do not require a live patient.

In 2014, the state adopted new wording to the Dental Practice Act adding letter C to statute 12-35-119 (1) saying that the state will accept “other methodology, as determined by the board, designed to test the applicant’s clinical skills and knowledge, which may include residency and portfolio models” in lieu of a traditional live-patient clinical exam.

And lastly, just this year, the Colorado Dental Board amended their 1.A Clinical Examination policy to officially accept all existing licensure pathways in the US including all regional clinical examinations (ADEX administered by CITA and CDCA, CRDTS, SRTA, and WREB), the completion of a PGY-1 program or hybrid-portfolio model from the state or jurisdiction where licensure was originally obtained, and the Canadian OSCE for initial licensure, making Colorado the first state to make this change.

Here is what we know:

• You can take any regional clinical examination to apply for initial licensure in Colorado
• You can take the Canadian OSCE to apply for initial licensure in Colorado
• If you went to school in California and were licensed via the hybrid-portfolio model, you can now apply for licensure in Colorado
• If you went to school and were licensed in a state that accepts PGY-1 (a one-year residency), you can now apply for licensure in Colorado

Although some details are not known at this time, this is a huge step forward for licensure reform in the United States.

Stay tuned for updates and more information as we receive it. Get all the news first right here with Colorado ASDA on your number one advocacy blog—the Colorado Quickset.