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Continuing Education Regulations for “Forensic Toxicologist GTFCh“

1. Preamble

According to point 5 of postgraduate professional education regulations the Forensic Toxicologist GTFCh is obliged to regularly further his or her education. Continuing education should cover the areas contained in the postgraduate professional education catalogue in order to enhance present knowledge, experience, and skills, to acquire new insights and to become acquainted with the latest developments.

2. Continuing education categories

Category A:  Workshops, seminars and scientific committees meetings approved by the GTFCh
Category B:  National and international meetings and conferences in the fields of the postgraduate professional education catalogue, approved by the GTFCh
Category C: Individual lectures, publications, teaching, contributions to meetings and conferences
Category D: Visits in other postgraduate professional education institutions and other activities

3. Minimum requirements, maximum credit

The GTFCh Forensic Toxicologist must demonstrate 80 continuing education points per year, 30 of which are accepted from private studies, which means 50 continuing education points must be accrued annually.
At least 40 continuing education points from categories A-C must annually be acquired. From category C a maximum of 20 continuing education points are creditable per year.
From category D, a maximum of 10 further education points are creditable annually.
The total sum of continuing education points acquirable annually is unlimited.

4. Awarding of continuing education points

Attended activities must be accepted by the GTFCh to be eligible for further education points.
Accepted activities and the number of continuing education points accredited are published on the GTFCh website.
For publications, lectures and presentations continuing education points are granted as follows:
Convention and conference contributions (oral presentations, posters) for activities accepted by the GTFCh are accredited with four continuing education points per contribution
For teaching activities (oral presentations, lectures, workshops, seminars), two continuing education points per hour are accredited.
The first and/or corresponding author of an article published in a relevant journal receives eight continuing education points, co-authorship is accredited with two point.
The GTFCh decides on the accreditability of continuing education activities if they are not currently recognised as such.

5. Proof of continuing education

Every three years the executive committee may ask Forensic Toxicologists GTFCh to submit proof of regular continuing education.
Forensic Toxicologists GTFCh who do not complete their continuing education within the three-year control period may catch up on lack of continuing education within the year following the control period. The acquired continuing education points cannot be accredited for the subsequent control period.
If a Forensic Toxicologist GTFCh cannot prove sufficient continuing education, the executive committee decides whether the expert title is suspended or retracted. In both cases his/her name will be deleted from the list of expert title bearers on the GTFCh website.

6. Special regulations

Persons obliged to continuing education may be temporarily excused from this obligation by the executive committee upon request.

7. Objection

If a Forensic Toxicologist GTFCh does not agree with the accreditation of continuing education points, he/she may submit a written objection to the president within three months. The executive committee decides on further action. Legal recourse is excluded.

8. Legal validity of Continuing

The version at hand was passed by the executive committee on 26th July 2021 and confirmed by the general assembly on 15th Nov. 2021.