SACAVA Standards for Continuing Education

Applicants for SACAVA re-certification must submit documentation of a minimum number of continuing education contact hours relevant to the field of addiction treatment and rehabilitation or prevention services depending on the specific re-certification requirements for that particular certification. No more than twenty-five (25) hours may be from in-service training. Sources for such continuing education include:

• formal continuing education which is offered under the auspices of an accredited university or college continuing education program,
• university and college courses offered by accredited institutions which are part of a formal degree-related curriculum and are offered as credit toward a degree,
• programs, workshops, seminars and conferences which are educational programs offered by and formally approved by health professional associations, treatment and/or prevention facilities or organizations, agencies of the government and/or SACAVA,
• Agency in-service educational programs,
• Directed Studies, and,
• SACAVA approved home-study programs

Definitions

• Board:  The Board of Directors of the Substance Abuse Certification Alliance of Virginia, a private not for profit, tax exempt corporation registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia, State Corporation Commission.
• Contact Hour:  Fifty minutes of continuous instruction
• Directed Study:  A supervised program of study under the auspices of an accredited university or college
• Education:  The continuing education relevant to the field of prevention services which the applicant experiences as a student. This type of education does not refer to situations in which the applicant is the teacher or presenter. A presenter should not receive a certificate for training credit hours of their presentation.
• In-service:  The continuing education or training which takes place in an agency or organization on behalf of staff usually, but not always, by a staff member. No more than twenty-five (25) hours of in-service training may be used to fulfill the continuing education requirements for SACAVA re-certification. In general, job-related supervision, staff meetings, and case conferences or program services conferences are not considered eligible for education hours.
• Self-directed Study:  A previously approved learning experience which is originated, implemented and evaluated by the individual and designed with specific objectives to increase knowledge in a given area. A list of approved home-study programs is available from SACAVA.
• Training:  An organized, goal-directed event within a specified time frame which focuses on skill development and information transmittal. For the purposes of certification or re-certification, training refers to those instances in which the applicant is the trainee, not the trainer.

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