64B32-6.004. Procedures for Approval of Attendance at Continuing Education Courses

(1) During the license renewal period of each biennium, an application for renewal will be mailed to each licensee at the last address provided to the Board. Failure to receive any notification during this period does not relieve the licensee of the responsibility of meeting the continuing education requirements. The licensee must retain such receipts, vouchers, certificates, or other papers as may be necessary to document completion of the appropriate continuing education offerings listed on the renewal form for a period of not less than 4 years from the date the offering was taken. Failure to document compliance with the continuing education requirements or the furnishing of false or misleading information regarding compliance shall be grounds for disciplinary action pursuant to Section 468.365(1)(a), F.S.

(2) Excluding any recertification, review, refresher, or preparatory courses, all licensees shall be awarded continuing education hours for:

(a) Attendance at all offerings that are approved on or before January 6, 2023, by:

1. The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC),

2. The Florida Society for Respiratory Care; and,

3. The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American and Florida Thoracic Societies, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American and Florida Societies of Anesthesiologists, the American and Florida Lung Association, the National Society for Cardiopulmonary Technologists, the American Heart Association, the American Nurses Association, the Florida Nurses Association, and the Florida Board of Nursing.

(b) Attendance at all offerings that are conducted by institutions approved on or before April 1, 2017, by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC);

(c) Successful completion, for the first time, of any college or university course, but only if such course is part of the curriculum within an accredited respiratory therapy program and is provided by that accredited respiratory therapy program, up to the maximum hours permitted by subsection (3) of this rule.

(d) Successful completion of the following certification classes, up to a maximum total of 16 hours per biennium;

1. Advanced cardiac life support,

2. Neonatal resuscitation program,

3. Pediatric advanced life support,

4. Any course offered by the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) on or before April 1, 2017.

(e) Successful completion of the following recertification classes, up to a maximum of 8 hours per biennium;

1. Advanced cardiac life support,

2. Neonatal resuscitation program,

3. Pediatric advanced life support.

(f) Attendance at scheduled public meetings of the Board of Respiratory Care, at which disciplinary hearings are conducted, and where the licensee has not been required by the Board to appear, up to a maximum of 8 continuing education hours in risk management per biennium.

(3) Credit for two (2) hours shall be awarded for completion of a FEMA Emergency Management/Preparedness continuing education course approved by FEMA on or before January 6, 2023, that covers the following topics: natural disasters, manmade disasters and bioterrorism, pandemic flu, and respiratory care disaster response.

(4) Each licensee who is presenting a continuing education course as either the lecturer of the offering or as author of the course materials may earn a maximum 12 hours of continuing education credit per biennium. Each licensee who is either participating as a lecturer of a continuing education course or an author of a continuing education program may receive credit for the portion of the offering he/she presented or authored to the total hours awarded for the offering.

(a) Continuing education credit may be awarded to a lecturer or author for the initial presentation of each program only; repeat presentations of the same continuing education course shall not be granted credit.

(b) In order for a continuing education credit to be awarded to each licensee participating as either faculty or author, the format of the continuing education program must comply with all applicable sections of this rule chapter.

(c) The number of hours to be awarded to each licensee who participates in a continuing education program as either a lecturer or author is based on the definition of “hour” employed within this rule chapter.

(5) Former members of the Board’s Probable Cause Panel shall receive five (5) hours of continuing education credit in risk management per biennium for their service on the Panel.

(6) The Board shall make exceptions for licensee from the continuing education requirements, including waiver of all or a portion of these requirements or the granting of an extension of time in which to complete these requirements, upon a finding of good cause by majority vote of the Board at a public meeting following receipt of a written request for exception based upon emergency or hardship. Emergency or hardship cases are those: (1) involving long term personal illness or illness involving a close relative or person for whom the licensee has care-giving responsibilities; (2) where the licensee can demonstrate that the required course(s) are not reasonably available; and (3) where the licensee can demonstrate economic, technological, or legal hardships that substantially relate to the ability to perform or complete the continuing education requirements.

(7) This rule shall be reviewed, and if necessary, repealed, modified, or renewed through the rulemaking process five years from the effective date.

Rulemaking Authority 456.013(6), (9), 468.353, 468.361 FS. Law Implemented 456.013(6), (9), 468.361 FS. History–New 4-29-85, Formerly 21M-38.04, Amended 9-29-86, 11-29-88, 9-24-92, 10-15-92, Formerly 21M-38.004, Amended 1-2-94, 7-10-94, Formerly 61F6-38.004, Amended 11-1-94, 3-14-95, 7-18-95, 4-24-96, 8-27-96, Formerly 59R-75.004, 64B8-75.004, Amended 6-8-00, 5-7-01, 1-22-03, 7-29-03, 5-31-04, 4-19-07, 10-8-07, 9-3-09, 2-18-10, 5-25-15, 9-23-15, 6-5-17, 3-23-23.