Advanced Search

Section .0400 - Continuing Education Requirements For License Holders


Published: 2015

Subscribe to a Global-Regulation Premium Membership Today!

Key Benefits:

Subscribe Now for only USD$40 per month.
SECTION

.0400 - CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS for license holders

 

21 NCAC 61 .0401             CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

(a)  Upon application for license renewal, a licensee shall

attest to having completed one or more of the following learning activity

options during the preceding renewal cycle and be prepared to submit evidence

of completion if requested by the Board:

(1)           Completion of a minimum of 12 hours of

Category I Continuing Education (CE) activities related to the licensee's

practice of respiratory care and approved by the Board, the American

Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) or the Accreditation Council for Continuing

Medical Education (ACCME).  All courses and programs shall:  contribute to the

advancement, extension and enhancement of professional clinical skills and

scientific knowledge in the practice of respiratory care; provide experiences that

contain scientific integrity, relevant subject matter and course materials; and

be developed and presented by persons with education and experience in the

subject matter, of the program. Six contact hours shall be obtained each

reporting year from workshops, panel, seminars, lectures, or symposiums that

provide for direct interaction between the speakers and the participants.

"Category I" Continuing Education may include any one of the

following:

(A)          Lecture – a discourse given for instruction before

an audience or through teleconference;

(B)          Panel – a presentation of a number of views by

several professionals on a given subject with none of the views considered a

final solution;

(C)          Workshop – a series of meetings for intensive,

hands-on study, or discussion in a specific area of interest;

(D)          Seminar – a directed advanced study or discussion in

a specific field of interest;

(E)           Symposium – a conference of more than a single

session organized for the purpose of discussing a specific subject from various

viewpoints and by various presenters;

(F)           Distance Education – a program provided by any

print medium or presented through the internet or other electronic medium that

includes an independently scored test as part of the learning package.  The

licensee shall submit proof of successful completion of a test administered as

part of the educational program. A maximum of six contact hours each reporting

year may be obtained from distance education programs; and

(G)          Clinical precepting – is the instruction and

evaluation of a respiratory therapy student in the clinical setting.  Three

contact hours may be given for clinical precepting.

(2)           Retake the Therapist Multiple-Choice Exam,

administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), and achieve a

passing score as determined by the NBRC for the CRT credential or take any of

the following examinations and achieve a passing score as determined by the

sponsor of the examination: the Therapist Multiple-Choice Exam for Advanced

Respiratory Therapists (RRT), administered by the NBRC; the Neonatal/Pediatric

Respiratory Care Specialty Examination (NPS), administered by the NBRC; the

Certification Examination for Entry Level Pulmonary Function Technologists

(CPFT), administered by the NBRC; the Registry Examination for Advanced

Pulmonary Function Technologist (RPFT), administered by the NBRC; the Sleep

Disorders Specialty (SDS) exam, administered by the NBRC; Adult Critical Care

Specialty (ACCS) exam, administered by the NBRC; the Registry Examination for

Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT), administered by the Board of Registered

Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT); or the Asthma Educators Certification

Examination (AE-C), administered by the National Asthma Educator Certification

Board (NAECB);

(3)           Completion of a Respiratory Care refresher

course offered through a Respiratory Care Education program accredited by the

Commission for the Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs;

(4)           Completion of three semester hours of

post-licensure respiratory care academic education leading to a baccalaureate

or masters degree in Respiratory Care;

(5)           Presentation of a Respiratory Care Research

study at a continuing education conference; or

(6)           Authoring a published Respiratory Care book

or Respiratory Care article published in a medical peer review journal.

(b)  The completion of certification or recertification in

any of the following:  Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) by the American

Heart Association, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) by the American Heart

Association,  and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) by the American Academy

of Pediatrics, shall count for a total of five hours of continuing education

for each renewal period; but no more than five hours of total credit shall be

recognized for each renewal period for the completion of any such certification

or recertification.

(c)  A licensee shall retain supporting documentation to

provide proof of completion of the option chosen in Paragraph (a) of this Rule

for a period of no less than three years.

(d)  A licensee shall maintain a file at his or her practice

facility that contains a copy of the RCP license, a copy of a current Basic

Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification, a copy of advanced life support

certifications, and a copy of all credentials issued by the National Board for

Respiratory Care.

(e)  A licensee is subject to random audit for proof of

compliance with the Board's requirements for continuing education.

(f)  The Board shall inform licensees of their selection for

audit upon notice of license renewal or request for reinstatement. Evidence of

completion of the requirements of Paragraph (a) of this Rule shall be submitted

to the Board no later than 30 days of receipt of the audit notice.

(g)  Failure of a licensee to meet the requirements of this

Rule shall result in disciplinary action pursuant to G.S. 90-666.

(h)  The Board shall charge twenty dollars ($20.00) per

approved hour of CE with a maximum of one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00)

per application for providers of continuing education who apply for approval of

continuing education programs.

(i)  The Board may grant extensions of the continuing

education requirements due to personal circumstances.  The Board shall require

documentation of the following circumstances surrounding the licensee's request

for extension:

(1)           Having served in the regular armed services

of the United States at least six months of the 12 months immediately preceding

the license renewal date; or

(2)           Having suffered a serious or disabling

illness or physical disability that prevented completion of the required number

of continuing education hours during the 12 months preceding the licensee

renewal date.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90-652(2)(13); 90-658;

90-660(b)(9);

Temporary Adoption Eff. October 15, 2001;

Eff. August 1, 2002;

Amended Eff. January 1, 2015; September 1, 2010; July 1,

2007; April 1, 2004;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without

substantive public interest Eff. August 22, 2015.