Contents
Listing of Continuing Education Activities
Description of Continuing Education Requirements for RTTs
Description of Continuing Education Requirements for Medical Dosimetrists
Revised Guidelines for Continuing Education Credit Approval
Listing of Continuing Education Activities
The NTSRT 2010 Fall Symposium is scheduled for October 2, 2010..
Continuing Education Requirements for RTTs:
The Basics
If you are a Radiation Therapist practicing in Texas, you must meet Continuing Education (CE) requirements for two certifying agencies, the Texas Department of Health (TDH) and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). To complicate matters, each of these agencies defines their program differently.
The CE reporting period for both the ARRT and TDH is two years. The dates of your ARRT reporting cycle are printed at the top of your CE Report Form which you receive from the ARRT. The CE reporting period for the TDH is a 2 year period that agrees with your renewal period.
Carefully check the exact renewal dates - the date on your ARRT card may not agree with the date on your Renewal Form. Also, the TDH CE period is calculated to the end of your birth month, while the ARRT CE period is calculated to the beginning of your birth month. Be careful when reporting credits earned in your birth month, as they will count for the END of the TDH period, but for the BEGINNING of the NEXT ARRT period.
The ARRT and TDH both require 24 contact hours per reporting period for individuals holding a General Certificate (Radiation Therapists in Texas have a General Certificate).
The ARRT and TDH classify hours differently, and this can be confusing. The ARRT classifies its hours as Category A and Category B. The TDH classifies its hours as Direct, Indirect, and Non-ionizing. NONE OF THESE TERMS ARE INTERCHANGEABLE!
Let's break this down a bit...
TDH requires that 12 hours of the 24 hours be classified as Direct credit hours, and the remaining 12 hours may be Direct, Indirect, or Non-ionizing credit hours.
The ARRT requires that 12 hours of the 24 hours be classified as Category A credit, and the remaining 12 hours may be either Category A or Category B credit.
IF AN ACTIVITY HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGISTS (ASRT) OR THE TEXAS SOCIETY OF RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGISTS (TSRT), IT IS AUTOMATICALLY AN ARRT CATEGORY A CREDIT.
Here's why: Category A credit is awarded by ARRT not on content, but on recognition of the approving agency. Only programs approved by those organizations or agencies that ARRT recognizes as Recognized Continuing Education Evaluation Mechanisms (RCEEM) are awarded Category A credit. The ASRT is such an organization. The Texas Society of Radiologic Technologists (TSRT) is an affiliate of the ASRT, and because TSRT and ASRT have entered into a cooperative agreement, and because ASRT has agreed to accept and recognize the TSRT Continuing Education for Radiologic Technologists in Texas (CERTT) program as an approving agency (i.e. RCEEM), then programs that are sponsored by TSRT, or by TSRT affiliates such as the NTSRT, are accepted by ARRT and awarded Category A credit. (A list of other organizations awarded RCEEM status follows this discussion).
ARRT awards Category B credit to acceptable CE activities that are not approved as Category A. Category B credit is awarded by ARRT and cannot be specified by the TSRT.
ALL NTSRT CE ACTIVITIES ARE APPROVED BY THE ASRT, AND BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE ASRT ARE CATEGORIZED AS DIRECT OR INDIRECT IN ACCORDANCE WITH TDH GUIDELINES.
Simply because an activity may be an ARRT Category A credit, it does not follow that the activity fulfills TDH requirements. Remember, TDH requires 12 Direct credit hours, and ARRT Category A classification does not necessarily mean the activity is a TDH Direct credit. So let's look at how the TDH classifications are defined.
Direct CE activities are educational activities which relate directly to the performance of radiologic procedures, including, but not limited to, positioning, technique, radiographic anatomy, physiology, contrast media, flouroscopy, film processing topics, and/or radiation safety.
Indirect CE activities are planned educational activities indirectly related to the field of radiologic technology, including, but not limited to, computer science, human behavioral sciences, mathematics, communications skills, public speaking, technical writing, management, administration, accounting, adult education, ethics, physics, and/or health sciences.
Non-ionizing CE activities are educational activities which are related to the use and application of non-ionizing forms of radiation for medical purposes. This includes MRI and ultrasound.
The following activities are also acceptable sources of continuing education credit, as listed by the TDH. The activities must be at least 30 minutes each in length, and be:
1) Approved by an agency or organization recognized by TDH to approve CE programs; or
If you have difficulty attending scheduled CE activities, self-study activities are available from the ASRT through their journals and website, and TSRT offers its TexPoints program.
What we have presented here is, of course, very basic information concerning Continuing Education requirements. Negotiating the maze of definitions and acronyms can be a frustrating task. Hopefully, using the guidelines and cautions outlined above, meeting recertification requirements will be less confusing. For more detailed information, you may contact:
The Texas Department of Health
The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
Other organizations awarded RCEEM status include: the ACR, AHRA, CAMRT, SDMS, SNM-TS, and SVT.
(Materials used for this discussion included a video presentation by Gary Whitley prepared for the TSRT, the ARRT form "Instructions for Completing the C.E. Report Form", and the TDH form "INFO.CE 2/97")
Continuing Education Requirements for Medical Dosimetrists
The certifying body for medical dosimetrists is the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB). The MDCB is also responsible for the process of certificate renewal.
Lapses in certification are not permitted. A CMD whose certificate has expired must reapply for certification and retake the certification examination.
Certificate renewal runs on a 5 year cycle. During this period, CMD's must earn 50 continuing competence credits or receive a passing score on the recertification exam.
In order for credit to be assigned, all continuing competence credits must be approved by the MDCB.
One credit is assigned per 50 minutes of contact hour.
In order to receive credit for continuing education activities, CMD's need to be enrolled in the Continuing Competency Documentation Program (CCDP) at a cost of $50 per year. Enrollees are required to submit credits on a yearly basis and will receive a print-out of credits assigned each year.
No credits will be assigned for periods when the CMD was not enrolled in the CCDP program.
CMD's who elect to take the recertification exam must apply 2 years before their certificate expires and pass the exam before their current certificate expires.
Acceptable Continuing Education Activities
All the following must receive prior approval by the MDCB for credit to be assigned.
1) Continuing education programs concerned with the practice of medical dosimetry.
2) Certain academic coursework directly related to the practice of medical dosimetry.
3) Presentations in the form of lectures, exhibits, posters and publications.
4) Education activities approved for AMA Category 1 if they contain direct medical dosimetry content.
5) Self study programs such as professional journal articles with a post-test.
6) Research and technical innovations which may not have been published or presented.
7) Medical dosimetry work experience. (Up to 5 credit hours per year for working full-time in medical dosimetry.)
8) Item writing for the MDCB certification exam.
For further and more complete information contact:
Medical Dosimetry Certification Board
or visit MDCB website here: Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB)
(information prepared by Susan Shaddock, C.M.D., B.S., R.T.T.)
2) Offered for semester hour or credit hour by an institution accredited by a regional accrediting organization; or
3) Offered for CE credit by a federal, state or local government entity or by an institution accredited by the Joint Review Committee; or
4) Successful completion or recertification in a CPR, BCLS, or ACLS (limited to only 3 hours per CE period); or
5) Attendance and participation in "inservice" education, training, or tumor conferences, offered or sponsored by hospitals accredited by JCAHO or certified by Medicare, provided education/training is properly documented and related to the profession of radiologic technology; or
6) Teaching in an approved program (excluding limited curriculum programs), limited to 1 contact hour of credit for each hour of instruction per topic item once during each CE period: (NOTE: Not applicable for teaching in limited curriculum education programs or NCT training programs); or
7) Developing and publishing a manuscript related to radiologic technology, limited to 5 hours per CE period
Phone: (512)834-6617
Fax: (512)834-6677
or visit the TDH Website here:
Texas Department of
Health Medical Radiologic Technologist Certification home
page
Department of Continuing Education
Phone: (612)687-0048 extension 540
or visit the ARRT Website here:
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
(ARRT)
One-half credit is assigned per 25 minutes of contact hour.
Educational programs lasting more than 1 hour are assigned credits to the nearest half-hour.
No credit is given for programs lasting less than 25 minutes.
Phone: (309) 343 1202