News from the CEU Evaluator

 

Feb 2008

 

Dear Fellow Respiratory Therapist,

 

Welcome to renewal time once again. I hope the past year has brought you good fortune and the new one to come even more.

 

Once again I wanted to review with you the continuing education guidelines for your professional license. Please remember this first item…dates are oh so important in obtaining your continuing education credits. 12 hours are needed between the dates of April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008.   If you are newly licensed this past year, you will still need 12 hours, unless you obtained your license after October 1, 2007.

 

Different ways to obtain CEU’s.

1.      “Seminars and symposiums. A seminar shall mean directed advanced study or discussion in a specific field of interest. A symposium shall mean a conference of more that a single session organized for the purpose of discussing a specific subject from various viewpoints and by various speakers.”

2.      “Programs.  A program shall mean a single learning experience designed to enhance knowledge, skill and attitudes related to respiratory therapy.  A program shall consist of at least one contact hour.”  Learning activities in the work setting designed to assist the individual in fulfilling employer requirements, including in-service education and on-the-job training shall not be eligible for continuing education.  You will no longer be able to count your once a year hospital mandated in-services or demonstrations/in-services on equipment, etc.

3.      “Nontraditional or alternative educational programs. A nontraditional or alternative educational program shall be defined as one that is not presented in the typical conference setting.  Educational programs may be provided by any print medium or presented through the Internet or other electronic medium such as video conferencing.”  This allows Internet and some journal quizzes to be accepted.  THESE PROGRAMS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RESPIRATORY CARE. THAT IS THE ONLY APPROVAL THAT WILL BE ACCEPTED. REVIEW THESE COURSES CLOSELY!!!

4.      “Clinical instruction.  Clinical instruction shall mean the education and evaluation of a respiratory therapy student in the clinical setting.  A maximum of three hours may be given for clinical instruction.”  Those you have respiratory therapy students they mentor/instruct may get 3 hours per year.

 

 

 

5.      “Program presentations.  Any licensee who presents a continuing education program or its equivalent shall receive two contact hours for each hour of presentation.  No credit shall be granted for subsequent presentations on the same subject content.”  This has not changed.

6.      “Voluntary recredentialing.  Any licensee who completes voluntary recredentialing shall receive the number of contact hours approved by the American Association Respiratory Care.”  This past year the AARC posted that they would give CEU credit for taking an exam over again. So we will honor that here in Kansas.  You can take the CRT or the RRT every 3 years and obtain CEU’s for that. You do not receive CEU’s for the first time you take the exam.

Some bulletin tips to remember:

1.      CPR/BLS does not count in Kansas any longer.

2.      ACLS, PALS, and Instructor classes will be credited for the number of contact hours you were in class. Remember test time, breaks and lunches will not count in the contact time. If you attend one of these classes and do not receive a respiratory approved certificate, I will need a copy of your card and a copy of the agenda to compute the hours you will receive. ACUTRONICS/COMPUTER BASED ACLS IS NOT APPROVED FOR RESPIRATORY CREDIT AT ALL.

3.      College classes of any kind are no longer approved.

4.      Before you attach your certificates to your renewal to send to the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, take a look at them to make sure they have the proper approval on them and that your license number appears on the certificate. You should find my name, an AARC approval number or a respiratory providership approval number on it.

 

 

Please keep the attached application and this letter for future reference. If you have questions and need to contact me please refer to the beginning of this newsletter.

Hope you have a good year and I am sure I will at least speak to some of you this year and maybe even meet you at a conference.

 

Ta Ta for Now!!!

Julia Downs, RRT/NPS

KS CEU Evaluator-Respiratory

jddrrt@yahoo.com

913-791-3547