This morning, I’m taking a little bit of a break from paper writing, answering discussion questions, and generally focusing on my Ph.D. studies. My birthday is coming up soon and one thing that means is that I have to submit my renewal for my Licensure. In Washington State, as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), to keep my credentials up to date, I have to submit for my renewal every year on my birthdate. It can be challenging to determine the best way to stay organized and up to date on all of the requirements in our lives. To help me do this for my licensure, I’ve decided to create an annual report that I’m going to generate each year before submitting my renewal.
In Washington State, there is no requirement to generate an annual report such as this for licensure. There is an affidavit that is required to be signed stating that I am current in my licensure requirements. If I am ever audited, I will be required to provide documentation regarding my completion of these requirements. But even the required documentation is not very complicated. The Frequently Asked Questions Section for Continuing Education describes the following:
WAC 246-809-650 says acceptable documentation shall include transcripts, letters from course instructors, certificate of completion or other formal certification, as required in chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 7.
Again, my understanding of this is it is only necessary to provide this information if you are audited, and it is really not that much information. Because, I want to make sure that I am fulfilling my requirements, I want to be able to track that I have everything necessary and to be able to plan for what I need to do before the next year.
Information taken from the Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker on the Department of Health Website states:
“Social workers must renew their license every year on or before their birthday. Thirty-six hours of continuing education (CE) with six hours in law and ethics is due every two years. Social workers are required to submit the appropriate fee, renewal card and an affidavit of compliance with the continuing education requirement. Beginning with the first full CE period after January 1, 2014, social workers must complete six hours of training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management. The training must be repeated once every six years.”
Of these 36 hours that can be completed, only 26 of those hours per reporting period can be using distance learning programs. See Social Worker and Social Worker Associate Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions for more details. It states that
“Distance learning programs must be approved by an industry-recognized local, state, national or international organization or institution of higher learning. These programs must require tests of comprehension upon completion. Limit distance learning programs to 26 hours per reporting period.”
The fee for the renew is $116.00. Information about the fees can be found at Social Worker and Social Worker Associate Fee Schedule.
So, using the Drafts App I created a template that I can save in my OmniFocus task list. It’s just a repeating task, with the notes section having a blank version of my task template. While I’ve updated my system to use Shortcuts to track training that I participate in, my post Tracking Trainings Using Drafts and Launch Center Pro in 2014 is still relevant and could give you an idea how I am collecting some of this information to put into my report. I can take the information I’ve already created, and copy and paste the relevant sections and do some planning around what I need to do for the next year and poof I’m done. You can see the Markdown version of my report below:
LOTx [YEAR]x 10x Annual Report on CEUs for LICSWx
# [YEAR] Annual Report on CEUs for LICSW
**Name**: Jacob Campbell
**License Number**: LW60930561
**Date**: [DATE]
**Purpose**: The purpose of this annually generated report is to keep track of the various continuing education that I have completed to be assured that I am meeting my licensure requirements to keep up to date with my LICSW.
## Requirements for Renewing LICSW
Information taken from the [Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker](https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ProfessionsNewReneworUpdate/SocialWorker/LicenseRequirements/LicensedIndependentClinicalSocialWorker) on the Department of Health Website states:
> "Social workers must renew their license every year on or before their birthday. Thirty-six hours of continuing education (CE) with six hours in law and ethics is due every two years. Social workers are required to submit the appropriate fee, renewal card and an affidavit of compliance with the continuing education requirement. Beginning with the first full CE period after January 1, 2014, social workers must complete six hours of training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management. The training must be repeated once every six years."
Of these 36 hours that can be completed, only 26 of those hours per reporting period can be using distance learning programs. See [Social Worker and Social Worker Associate Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ProfessionsNewReneworUpdate/SocialWorker/ContinuingEducationInformation) for more details. It states that
> "Distance learning programs must be approved by an industry-recognized local, state, national or international organization or institution of higher learning. These programs must require tests of comprehension upon completion. Limit distance learning programs to 26 hours per reporting period."
The fee for the renew is $116.00. Information about the fees can be found at [Social Worker and Social Worker Associate Fee Schedule](https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ProfessionsNewReneworUpdate/SocialWorker/Fees).
To renew online I need to access [http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Renewals.htm](http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Renewals.htm). My SAW Service code is **[REDACTED]** and my DOH Online Renewal User ID is **[REDACTED]**.
## List of CEU's in Previous Two Years
The following is a list of CEUs that I have received, taken from my running table of CEUs located at [/Data Collection/Continuing Education Tracking.csv]([REDACTED]).
Date | Title | CEU Quantity | CEU Type
--- | --- | --- | ---
N/A | Total Number of CEUs | [NUMBER] CEUs | Both Requirements
[Copy CSV Entries and Include in the table above]
## Descriptive Information for Qualifying CEUs
The following are the entries I have created related to the various pieces of training for each of the training which meet the requirements for my LICSW Renewal. It is taken from [/notes/LICSWx Trainingx List of Training received.txt]([REDACTED]).
[Copy Text File Entries and Include Here]
## Needs for the Next Year
To keep up to date, the following are the needs for continuing education that should be completed during the next year.
* I have [NUMBER] CEUs ([NUMBER] In-Person and [NUMBER] Online) which will still be current for my [NEXT YEAR] renewal.
* I need to obtain [NUMBER] CEUs before my next renewal
* I need to obtain [NUMBER] CEUs related to [AREA OF NEED]
* A maximum of [NUMBER] CEUs can be done online before my next renewal
* My last training in _Suicide Assessment, Intervention, & Treatment_ which is required every six years was completed 02/20/18
The following is my plan to complete my CEUs:
- Verify that I have planned required CEUs for LICSW Six Months Prior to Deadline @parallel(true) @autodone(false) @context(Roles : Locus of Transformation) @tags(Roles : Locus of Transformation, Activities : Planning) @due(2020-04-18 17:00)
- Obtain 6 CEUs in Law and Ethics @parallel(true) @autodone(false) @context(Roles : Locus of Transformation) @tags(Roles : Locus of Transformation, Activities : Planning) @due(2020-10-18 17:00)
- Obtain 6 CEUs in General Area of Practice (#1) @parallel(true) @autodone(false) @context(Roles : Locus of Transformation) @tags(Roles : Locus of Transformation, Activities : Planning) @due(2020-10-18 17:00)
- Obtain 6 CEUs in General Area of Practice (#2) @parallel(true) @autodone(false) @context(Roles : Locus of Transformation) @tags(Roles : Locus of Transformation, Activities : Planning) @due(2020-10-18 17:00)
- Obtain 7 CEUs in General Area of Practice (#3) @parallel(true) @autodone(false) @context(Roles : Locus of Transformation) @tags(Roles : Locus of Transformation, Activities : Planning) @due(2020-10-18 17:00)
You can check out the PDF version of the report, 2009 Annual LICSW Report Example.
While it took me about two hours to figure out exactly what I want to be in my report, and the creation of it. I think that in the next several years, as I recreate this report, it should be super quick to do. It is very useful as a tool to determine exactly what I need to do for the next year. If you have your LICSW, I would highly recommend having both a system in place for how you track the training that you participate in and how you can be sure that you are fulfilling the requirements of your credentials.
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