The State of Texas has made some changes in the continuing education requirements for radiologic technologists. Below are some of the highlights:
General Certificate
You must complete 24 hours of continuing education (CE) during each biennial renewal period. You are not required to complete CE during your first renewal period if your first renewal period is less than 24 months. Of the required 24 hours of CE, at least 12 hours must be instructor-directed. At least 50% of the required number of hours must be activities which are directly related (DIRECT CREDITS)
Limited Certificate
You must complete 18 hours of continuing education (CE) during each biennial renewal period. You are not required to complete CE during your first renewal period if your first renewal period is less than 24 months. Of the required 18 hours of CE, at least 9 hours must be instructor-directed. At least 50% of the required number of hours must be activities which are directly related (DIRECT CREDITS)
Non-Certified Technician
You must complete 12 hours of continuing education (CE) during each biennial renewal period. You are not required to complete CE during your first renewal period if your first renewal period is less than 24 months. At least 6 credits of the required number of hours must be instructer-led courses which are directly related (DIRECT CREDITS)
Direct credits are defined as: ..."activities which are directly related to the use and application of ionizing forms of radiation to produce diagnostic images and/or administer treatment to human beings for medical purposes. For the purpose of this section, directly related topics include, but are not limited to: radiation safety, radiation biology and radiation physics; anatomical positioning; radiographic exposure technique; radiological exposure technique; emerging imaging modality study; patient care associated with a radiologic procedure; radiopharmaceutics, pharmaceutics, and contrast media application; computer function and application in radiology; mammography applications; nuclear medicine application; and radiation therapy applications."
Indirect credits are defined as: ..."indirectly related topics include, but are not limited to, patient care, computer science, computer literacy, introduction to computers or computer software, physics, human behavioral sciences, mathematics, communication skills, public speaking, technical writing, management, administration, accounting, ethics, adult education, medical sciences, and health sciences. Other courses may be accepted for credit provided there is a demonstrated benefit to patient care."
To see the complete requirements, visit the Texas Department of Health web page at: Texas Continuing Education