January 2010- Oregon
Taking License | by Kraig Bohot
What are the key issues in the regulation of cosmetology in Oregon?
That is the question the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) is asking as we head into a new year and decade.
OHLA will be collaborating with the Board of Cosmetology during 2010 to identify and address issues of most importance to cosmetology practitioners and consumers. OHLA plans to highlight these issues and what we are doing to address them in a series of Central Issues publications for each of the multiple health and related professions the agency oversees.
Why? We want our licensees and other stakeholders to be informed about regulatory developments so you can better participate in the regulatory process.
What Will 2010 Bring?
After the champagne is gone and the party favors put away, 2010 is shaping up to be a busy year for OHLA and the Board of Cosmetology. Here is what I think will be the “central issues” for 2010:
• State-Prepared Examination: OHLA and the Board of Cosmetology switched back to the state-prepared examination in December 2009 to better oversee examination content and security. While we will continue to offer the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) in Vietnamese and Spanish and to facilitate reciprocity, the state-prepared examination will be the daily examination offered.
• Advanced Esthetics: At the January 25 Board of Cosmetology meeting, board members will schedule the first of what will probably be several meetings to establish requirements and standards for a new certification category for advanced esthetics. Possible due to the passage of House Bill 3232 in the 2009 session of the Oregon State Legislature, OHLA and the board will be able to “…adopt rules to recognize specialties within a regulated field of practice…and may establish requirements for education, experience, examinations and supervision as necessary to ensure public safety and competency within the specialty.”
• Licensing Fees: OHLA has facilitated continued discussion over licensing fees and how they are formulated. The agency and board believe the most recently proposed fees reduce the cost to enter the profession while increasing fees for facilities and independent contractors that had not been increased for several years. The legislature will be reviewing the fees and the agency’s cost-allocation formula used to establish fees early this year.
The key issues OHLA and the Board of Cosmetology will address in 2010 may be the issues I highlight above. Other key issues may present themselves as the year progresses.
Do you have any issues that you believe the agency and board should address in the coming year? Do you have any comments on the three “central issues” I’ve listed here? As always, I’d like to hear from you.
Kraig Bohot is public information officer at the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA), a state consumer protection agency providing centralized regulatory oversight of multiple health and related professions. He can be reached at (503) 373-1939 or at kraig.bohot@state.or.us.
Tools for Schools Page
The Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) has created a “Tools for Schools” Web page to facilitate the certification process for graduating students. Our goal is to help qualified candidates obtain certification as quickly as possible so they can start working.
Visit http://www.oregon.gov/OHLA/COS/Features/Tools_for_Schools.shtml to find helpful information on submitting transcripts, steps to becoming certified, agency closures, and more.
Do you have ideas for the “Tools for Schools” page? What information do you think would be helpful to schools and students? Contact OHLA Public Information Officer Kraig Bohot at 503-373-1939 or kraig.bohot@state.or.us with your suggestions.
Historian Focuses on Post-War Beauty Industry
A University of Portland history professor is researching Portland’s beauty industry in the aftermath of World War II through the 1960s and is looking for practitioners who may be able to contribute to her research.
The professor is “…exploring women’s experiences as both beauty school students and beauticians. Within this context, I am particularly interested in the connections between hair care and civil rights in Oregon.”
She has been researching the integration of Portland area beauty schools, which occurred in the late 1940s and early 1950s, well before the national civil rights movement was underway, and is specifically looking for any records, personal reflections, newspaper clippings, photographs, etc. from the 1930s through the1960s.
Practitioners who would like to contribute to her research may contact Kraig Bohot, OHLA Public Information Officer, at 503-373-1939 or kraig.bohot@state.or.us.
Proposed Fees Delayed for Legislative Review
OHLA is delaying fee changes scheduled to become effective on December 15, 2009, to allow the agency to report on the proposed changes to the Interim Joint Committee on Ways and Means of the Oregon State Legislature in January 2010.
Proposed fee changes are the result of agency and Board of Cosmetology efforts to balance the cost of entering the cosmetology field in Oregon with the cost of providing licensing and regulatory services for licensees while protecting public health and safety.
OHLA anticipates an expedited legislative review and look forward to implementing the fee changes at the earliest possible date.
Do you have a question about licensing or regulatory compliance issues? This monthly feature will provide answers. To submit a question, e-mail kraig.bohot@state.or.us or call 503-373-1939.
Q: Do you have recommended wording or points to include in the waiver form for clients who decline to provide information for their client record?
A: Use simple wording such as “Client Record Requirement: Waiver Form – I decline to provide client information as required by state regulations.” Be sure to spell the client’s name out and have them sign the form.
Following is client record requirements as specified in OAR 817-015-0065, Client Records:
(1) Facility owners and independent contractors providing esthetic or nail technology services must maintain client records to ensure basic client information is available to safeguard the health and well being of both the client and practitioner.
(2) Legible hand-written or electronic records are acceptable. Basic client information includes the client’s name, address, telephone number, type of service and date of service.
(3) The record must include the name and registration number of the practitioner providing service, and special instructions or notations that the practitioner believes to be pertinent to providing esthetic or nail technology services to the client, such as bleeding disorders, allergies or sensitivities to chemicals or products or complications during service(s).
(4) A practitioner may obtain medical advice if necessary to safeguard the client or the practitioner.
(5) Client records must be kept at the facility premises for a minimum of two years and must be made available immediately upon request from an enforcement officer of the Oregon Health Licensing Agency.
(6) A practitioner may not provide services to a client who refuses to provide the personal information required by (2) of this rule unless the client signs a waiver form documenting the client’s refusal to provide the required information. The signed waiver form must be retained on file in the manner required in subsection (5) of this rule for client records.
Find FAQ Answers Online!
Find more answers to frequently asked questions online at http://www.oregon.gov/OHLA/COS/COS_FAQ.shtml.
How many practitioners and facilities are active in Oregon? (Numbers in parentheses +/- change from previous month.) According to Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) records as of December 28, 2009:
Practitioners 30,904 (-40)
Facilities 4,561 (+20)
Independent contractors 7,170 (+93)
Certificate of ID 253 (+12)
Barbering 5,144 (-27)
Esthetics 13,280 (-56)
Hair Design 20,987 (-30)
Nail Technology 14,317 (-88)
Oregon Health Licensing Agency
700 Summer Street NE, Suite 320 • Salem, OR 97301-1287
Licensing Office (503) 378-8667 • Enforcement Unit (503) 378-4294
www.oregon.gov/OHLA
OHLA Agency Staff:
Randy Everitt, Director
Tim Molloy, Regulatory Operations
Board of Cosmetology:
Michael D. Snook, Salem - Chair
Debora Masten, Salem - Vice Chair
Linda Bergmann, Florence
Patricia A. Hall, Pendleton
Herb Hirst, North Plains
Sharon Wiser, Lake Oswego
Shelly Couch, Gladstone
