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Continuing Education Requirements
Effective July 1, 2007
(1) Completion of a minimum of twelve hours of Category I Continuing Education (CE) activities directly related to the licensee's practice of respiratory care and currently approved by the Board, the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) or the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). "Category I" Continuing Education is defined as participation in an educational activity directly related to respiratory care, which includes 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 – includes such enduring materials as text, Internet or CD, provided the proponent has included an independently scored test as part of the learning package.
(2) Retake the Certified Respiratory Therapist Examination (CRT), administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), and achieve a passing score as determined by the NBRC, or take any of the following examinations and achieve a passing score as determined by the sponsor of the examination: the Registry Examination 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 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 a minimum 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.
(6) Authoring a published Respiratory Care book or Respiratory Care article published in a medical peer review journal.
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
will be recognized for each renewal period for the completion of any
such certifications or recertifications.
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.
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.
A licensee is subject to random audit for proof of compliance with the
Board's requirements for continuing education.
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 thirty days of receipt of the audit notice.
Failure of a licensee to meet the requirements of this Rule shall result in disciplinary action pursuant to G.S. 90-666.
The Board shall charge the following fees for providers of continuing
education that apply for approval of continuing education programs:
(1) Programs approved for one to two hours of CE: Non Profit Organizations and Government Agencies, ten dollars ($10.00); For Profit Organizations, twenty dollars ($20.00).
(2) Programs approved for three to five hours of CE: Non Profit Organizations and Government Agencies, twenty dollars ($20.00); For Profit Organizations, forty dollars ($40.00).
(3) Programs approved for six to ten hours of CE: Non Profit Organizations and Government Agencies, forty dollars ($40.00); For Profit Organizations, eighty dollars ($80.00).
(4) Programs approved for eleven or more hours of CE: Non Profit Organizations and Government Agencies, eighty dollars ($80.00); For Profit Organizations, one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00).
The Board shall grant requests for extensions of the continuing education
requirements due to personal circumstances as follows. The Board shall
require documentation of the 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 twelve 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 twelve months immediately preceding the licensee renewal date.
NOTICE CONCERNING NCRCB AND AARC CE COURSE APPROVAL
AARC approval numbers start with the number 2. The second digit corresponds with the approval year. Example: 260994000 means the course was approved for January through December 2006. 270524000 means the course is approved for January through December 2007.
NCRCB approval numbers start with the number 0. The second digit corresponds with the approval year. Example: 06950 means the course was approved for January through December 2006. 071021 means the course is approved for January through December 2007.
