Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1330-01-.12 - CONTINUING EDUCATION
(1) Hours required.
(a) Each therapist and assistant licensed by
the Board must complete twelve (12) hours of approved continuing education
every calendar year.
1. At least five (5) of
those twelve (12) hours must pertain to the clinical practice of respiratory
care or to research relating to the cardio-pulmonary system.
2. At least one (1) of those twelve (12)
hours must pertain to patient safety as defined by the T.J.C.
3. At least one (1) of those twelve (12)
hours must be a course focused on the professional or ethical standards
required of respiratory therapists by their governing rules and
statutes.
4. The remaining five (5)
hours may pertain to, among other topics, education or management.
(b) For new licensees, submitting
proof of successful completion of the respiratory care program required by
T.C.A. §§
63-27-106 or
63-27-107 shall be considered
proof of sufficient preparatory education so as to satisfy the continuing
education requirements for the calendar year in which the new licensee
completed the program.
(2) Acceptable Continuing Education.
(a) The following organizations' or
associations' and their local and state affiliates' continuing education
activities, which pertain to the practice of respiratory care, are considered
pre-approved for fulfilling the requirements of this rule:
1. All hospitals or institutions belonging to
the Tennessee Hospital Association, or which are T.J.C. accredited, and other
accrediting hospital bodies with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
deemed status;
2. American
Association for Respiratory Care and any of its chartered affiliates;
3. American Association of Critical Care
Nurses;
4. American Association of
Pediatric Physicians;
5. American
Cancer Society;
6. American College
of Chest Physicians;
7. American
College of Emergency Physicians;
8.
American College of Physicians;
9.
American Heart Association;
10.
American Lung Association;
11.
American Medical Association;
12.
American Nurses Association;
13.
American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation;
14. American Society of
Anesthesiologists;
15. American
Society of Cardiovascular Professionals;
16. American Thoracic Society;
17. Association of Certified Registered Nurse
Anesthetists;
18. Committee on
Accreditation for Respiratory Care;
19. Society of Critical Care
Medicine;
20. Tennessee Association
for Home Care;
21. Tennessee
Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation;
22. Tennessee Medical Association;
23. American Academy of Sleep
Medicine;
24. American Association
of Sleep Technologists; and
25.
Society of Anesthesia & Sleep Medicine.
(b) In lieu of obtaining continuing education
hours from one of the organizations listed in (a), a licensee may obtain his or
her continuing education hours in any of the following ways:
1. By taking and passing (with a grade point
average of 2.0 or its equivalent, or better) a college or university course
which focuses on the clinical practice of respiratory care and/or on education,
management or research relating to the cardiopulmonary system. The licensee
will receive continuing education hours equal to three (3) times the number of
hours for which the course is accredited by the college or
university.
2. By taking and
passing advanced training courses (either the initial, renewal, or instructor
courses) on advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric advanced life
support (PALS), or neonatal resuscitation programs (NRP). The licensee will
receive ten (10) continuing education hours for one of these courses (unless
the number of hours attended by the licensee is actually less than ten (10
hours).
3. By taking and passing a
NBRC re-credentialing examination (either of the advanced practitioner
examinations for registered respiratory therapists or the certification
examination for certified respiratory therapists), or by taking and passing a
NBRC specialty examination, such as, including but not limited to, Sleep
Disorder Specialty or Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist. The licensee
will receive ten (10) continuing education hours for passing the examination.
These exams shall not fulfill the one (1) hour requirement in patient safety or
the one (1) hour in ethics.
4. By
presenting or instructing a pre-approved course. The credit is limited to
credit for twice the presentation time and credit cannot be given for the same
topic more than once per calendar year.
(c) A minimum of 5 hours must be obtained
live, real time, with interactive opportunity.
(3) Continuing Education Program Approval
Process
(a) All entities offering education
activities not considered pre-approved by these rules must request and receive
prior approval of their content by the Board in order to be considered valid
for fulfilling any of the continuing education requirements as set forth in
this act.
(b) Application for
approval shall contain the topic, speaker credentials, a brief description of
content or content objectives, the sponsoring institution or organization, the
length in minutes of each presentation, and the number of credit hours
requested. Activities/courses that are being offered in traditional classroom
and lecture formats shall also include the date and the place of
instruction.
(c) All applications
must be submitted to the Board a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days prior to
any scheduled Board meeting which is to take place before the educational
offering. The Board or Board Consultant shall review each application and shall
rule on whether the offering(s) in whole or in part shall be accepted as valid
for the purposes of the continuing education requirements of this act. The
decision of the Board shall be final in all such matters.
(4) Documentation
(a) Each individual must retain independent
proof of attendance and completion of all continuing education requirements.
This documentation must be retained for a period of three (3) years from the
end of the renewal period in which the continuing education was acquired. This
documentation must be produced for inspection and verification, if requested in
writing by the Board during its verification process. Such documentation must
be one (1) or more of the following:
1.
Certificates verifying the individual's completion.
2. Official transcript verifying credit hours
earned.
3. Written documentation of
training that is kept by the respiratory care practitioner and meets the
following criteria:
(i) Written or printed on
official stationery of the organization which provided the continuing
education;
(ii) The licensee's
name;
(iii) The total number of
continuing education hours;
(iv)
The course title;
(v) The date of
the continuing education; and
(vi)
The licensee's signature and license number.
(b) If, after request by the Board during its
verification process, a person submits documentation for training that is not
clearly identifiable as appropriate continuing education, the Board will
request a written description of the training and how it applies to the
practice of respiratory care. If the Board determines that the training cannot
be considered appropriate continuing education, the individual will be given
ninety (90) days to replace the hours not allowed. Those hours will be
considered replacement hours and cannot be counted during the next renewal
period.
(5) Continuing
education credit will not be allowed for the following:
(a) Regular work activities, administrative
staff meetings, case staffing/reporting, etc.
(b) Membership in, holding office in, or
participation on boards or committees, business meetings of professional
organizations, or banquet speeches.
(c) Independent unstructured or
self-structured learning.
(d)
Training specifically related to policies and procedures of an agency (Examples
-universal precautions, infection control, emergency or disaster preparedness,
employee orientation, employee relations).
(e) College or university course(s), except
as authorized pursuant to subparagraph (2)(b).
(f) Provider CPR courses of any
type.
(6) Continuing
Education for Reinstatement of Retired, Revoked, or Expired License.
(a) Reinstatement of Retired License
1. An individual whose license has been
retired for one (1) year or less will be required to fulfill continuing
education requirements as outlined in this rule as a prerequisite to
reinstatement. Those hours can not be counted toward future continuing
education requirements.
2. Any
individual requesting reinstatement of a license which has been retired for
more than one (1) year must submit, along with the reinstatement request,
verification which indicates the attendance and completion of twelve (12) hours
of continuing education for every calendar year for which the license has been
retired, although under no circumstances shall the maximum number of hours
required be more than twenty-four (24) hours. The continuing education hours
must have been obtained during the period of retirement with the exception of
the most recent calendar year requirement, which must have been completed
within the twelve (12) months preceding reinstatement.
3. The twelve (12) hours received for each
calendar year must comply with the requirements of rule
1330-01-.12(1)(a).
(b) Reinstatement of Revoked
License - Any individual requesting reinstatement of a license which has been
revoked for non-compliance with the continuing education requirements of this
rule must submit, along with the reinstatement request, verification which
indicates the attendance and completion of twelve (12) hours of continuing
education for every calendar year for which the license has been revoked. The
continuing education hours must have been obtained during the period of
revocation with the exception of the most recent calendar year requirement,
which must have been completed within the twelve (12) months preceding
reinstatement.
(c) Reinstatement of
Expired License - No person whose license has expired may be reinstated without
submitting evidence of fulfillment of the continuing education requirements as
outlined in this rule.
1. Except for
licensees who have been practicing in another state during the period of
expiration, the continuing education hours documented at the time of
reinstatement must equal twelve (12) hours for every calendar year for which
the license was expired, although under no circumstances shall the maximum
number of hours required be more than sixty (60) hours, and must have been
successfully completed before the date of reinstatement.
2. For licensees who have been practicing in
another state during the period of expiration, the continuing education hours
documented at the time of reinstatement must equal twelve (12) hours for every
calendar year for which the license was expired, although under no
circumstances shall the maximum number of hours required be more than
forty-eight (48) hours, and must have been begun and successfully completed
before the date of reinstatement.
3. The twelve (12) hours received for each
calendar year must comply with the requirements of rule
1330-01-.12(1)(a).
(d) Continuing education hours
obtained as a prerequisite for reinstating a license may not be counted toward
the calendar year requirement.
(7) Violations - Any licensee who fails to
successfully complete or who falsely certifies attendance and completion of the
required hours of continuing education may be subject to disciplinary action.
(a) Prior to the institution of any
disciplinary proceedings, a letter shall be issued to the last known address of
the individual stating the facts or conduct which warrant the intended
action.
(b) The licensee has thirty
(30) days from the date of notification to show compliance with all lawful
requirements for the retention of the license.
(c) Any licensee who fails to show compliance
with the required continuing education hours in response to the notice
contemplated by subparagraphs (7) (a) and (7) (b) above may be subject to
disciplinary action.
(d) Continuing
education hours obtained as a result of compliance with the terms of a Board
Order in any disciplinary action shall not be credited toward the continuing
education hours required to be obtained in any renewal period.
(8) Waiver or Extension of
Continuing Education
(a) The Board may grant a
waiver of the need to attend and complete the required hours of continuing
education or the Board may grant an extension of the deadline to complete the
required hours of continuing education if it can be shown that compliance was
beyond the physical or mental capabilities of the person seeking the
waiver.
(b) Waivers or extension of
the deadline will be considered only on an individual basis and may be
requested by submitting the following items to the Board office:
1. A written request for a waiver or deadline
extension which specifies which requirements are sought to be waived or which
deadline is sought to be extended and a written and signed explanation of the
reason for the request; and
2. Any
documentation which supports the reason(s) for the waiver or deadline extension
requested or which is subsequently requested by the Board.
(c) A waiver or deadline extension approved
by the Board is effective only for the renewal period for which the waiver is
sought.
Notes
Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 63-1-107, 63-1-145, 63-1-146, 63-27-102, 63-27-104, 63-27-105, 63-27-106, 63-27-107, 63-27-109, 63-27-112, and 63-27-116.
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