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Q.
What is Continuing Mediator Education (CME)?
Continuing
Mediator Education is a requirement for all mediators certified by the Supreme
Court of Florida to participate in educational activities which enhance
the participant's professional competence as a mediator. All certified mediators
must complete a minimum of 16 hours of CME, which shall include a minimum of
four hours of mediator ethics, two hours of domestic violence education, and one hour of cultural/diversity awareness in each two year renewal cycle. For family and
dependency mediators, four hours of the required 16 hours must be in domestic
violence training per renewal cycle.
Q.
Where is this requirement defined?
Administrative
Order AOSC06-9 established the requirements for CME. The requirements are based
on the recommendations from the Supreme Court Committee on Mediation and Arbitration
Training.
Q.
What qualifies as "Live" credit?
1.
Attendance at a live lecture or seminar;
2.
Attendance at an audio or video playback of a lecture or seminar with a group
where the group discusses the materials presented; or
3.
An interactive Internet presentation.
Q.
If I am a mediator with multiple areas of certification, do I need to attend
16 hours per certification in every two year renewal cycle?
Mediators
who are certified in more that one area must complete 16 hours of CME applicable
to each area of certification. Please note that CME courses may be applicable
to more than one area of certification, and thus, can be counted for each area.
For example, the four-hour ethics requirement included in each 16 hours may
be completed once and counted for each area of certification, if applicable.
Q.
Is there an inactive status for certified mediators so that the CME requirements
can be waived?
No,
there is no inactive status for certified mediators.
Q.
Is there and inactive status for out-of- state mediators?
No,
CME can be completed outside the state of Florida.
Q.
Are there any exceptions or extensions to the CME requirement?
Mediator
certification renewal will not be granted until all the CME requirements are
completed. A mediator may request an extension for an extraordinary hardship.
If such a request is denied, an appeal may be taken to the ADR Policy Committee
which will make a recommendation to the Chief Justice. The decision of the Chief
Justice will be final.
Q.
How do I know if a program is approved for CME?
The
Center does not pre-approve courses for CME credit. If the course meets the
definition for CME, then it will qualify.
Q.
Do continuing education hours for other professions count towards fulfillment
of the CME requirement?
Yes,
if the subject matter attended is applicable to your area of mediator certification.
Q.
How can I complete my CME hours?
CME
may be completed by attending a program, listening to or viewing audio/video
presentations, lecturing, authoring, mentoring and Internet presentations. At
a minimum, 50 percent of the required hours must be satisfied by attendance
at a live lecture or seminar. Co-mediating or supervising trainees as part of
the mentorship program may be utilized for up to four hours of CME credit. Mentoring
activities cannot be applied toward the required four hours ethics and/or domestic
violence components.
Q.
What counts towards the ethics requirements in CME?
Presentations
that relate to ethical considerations in the field of mediation and constitute
the focus of the presentation will count (generally will contain 'ethics' in
the title).
Q.
What counts as domestic violence CME?
Domestic
violence continuing mediator education includes presentations on the aspects
of violence or abuse among individuals who have a child in common or have resided
together as a family.
Q.
If I am already a certified mediator and I complete a mediation certification
training course in a different area of certification, can I use that program
to count as the required 16 hours of CME?
Yes,
if there are 16 hours of material applicable to that area of certification (and
it includes a minimum of 4 hours of ethics).
Q.
Do courses in arbitration qualify as CME?
Maybe,
if it has significant intellectual or practical content and constitutes an organized
program of learning directly related to the practice of mediation.
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Q.
If I am certified as a mediator and want to attend a basic mediation training
program (again), will that count as CME?
Yes.
Q.
Do college level courses qualify for CME? If yes, hour per hour?
Yes,
if applicable to the practice of mediation. Each 50 minutes of attendance qualifies
for one CME hour.
Q.
Can victim offender mediation training qualify as CME for mediators?
Yes,
if it has significant intellectual or practical content and constitutes an organized
program of learning directly related to the practice mediation.
Q.
Do mediators have to pay for CME?
Mediators
will have to pay for CME activities that they would like to attend that charge
a fee. There may be CME activities available through the local mediation programs
and other trainings at no charge for volunteer mediators.
Q.
How does one become approved to be a trainer of CME?
While
there are no specific requirements for trainers of CME programs, the Administrative
Order states that courses shall be conducted by an individual or group qualified
by practical or academic experience.
Q.
Where can I obtain a list of upcoming CME courses?
The
Resolution Report is one source. A list of CME
Activities is also available on this
website. In addition, other
sources which list professional education programs may qualify.
Q.
Do I need to send in documentation with my CME Form when I submit my renewal
information?
No,
do not mail the Center documentation of your CME activities. The Center will
monitor compliance through a random audit procedure. You will only need to supply
evidence of your activities if your are audited. It is your responsibility to
keep records for four years from the date of the CME activity.
Q.
Should I send an attendance sheet after each CME program I attend?
No,
do not mail in attendance sheets.
Q.
Can the training provider (i.e., The Florida Bar) report my CME directly to
the Center for me?
No,
you must report your own hours on your renewal form and sign it.
Q.
If I attend the Dispute Resolution Center's annual conference, is my attendance
noted for CME purposes by the Center?
No,
you will need to report your attendance at the time of renewal.
Q.
As a volunteer county/Citizen Dispute Settlement (CDS) mediator, can my program
director report CME for me?
No,
the required CME Form must be completed, signed and submitted by each mediator.
Q.
If audited, what proof do I need to furnish?
Proof
of attendance at a course (i.e., copy of certificate, course syllabus, or registration
material) or signed affidavit.
Q.
What happens if I do not complete the required CME?
Your
certification will not be renewed until all renewal requirements, including
CME, are completed. If you wait more than 180 days (but less than 365 days)
after your renewal date, you will be required to pay a penalty five times the renewal fee (up to $500 total). If certification lapses for more than 365 days, you will be required
to complete the initial requirements for certification, including attendance
at a certified mediation training program and fulfilling the mentorship requirements.
Q.
I am a certified mediator in multiple areas. If my CME in one area of certification
is deficient, what happens to my certification?
If
you are certified in more than one area and fail to timely complete CME in any
one given area, your certification will still be renewed in those areas that
you have timely completed your CME requirements.
Q.
I am a certified mediator in multiple areas. If I let my certification lapse
in an area which I was previously 'grandfathered- in,' what happens if I want
to be certified again at a later point?
After
365 days of lapsed certification, you will be required to comply with the requirements
for original certification including meeting all of the education and experience
requirements.
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