CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Each licensed respiratory therapist is required to maintain continuing education in order to renew and maintain their state license. The Massachusetts Respiratory Care Licensure Board requires that every respiratory therapist obtain 20 contact hours every two years (biennal). In addition to this, no more than 4 contact hours from recredentialing exams can be applied. The Board will not grant continuing education credits to Basic Cardiac Life Support (BLS) courses.
Special Note regarding American Heart Association courses: Motion to adopt [from October 2020 Board of Respiratory Care minutes] the following CEU standardization: 6.5 CEUs for ACLS, 3.75 CEUs for PALS, and 9 CEUs every other renewal cycle for NRP and to amend Board policy RC-08-01 Continuing Education Credits for Examination Preparatory Courses in Advanced Level Specialties. Credit can only be used for initial certification, not for renewals. (link: https://www.mass.gov/doc/october-29-2020/download).
Continuing education shall not be required of a new licensee for the first renewal of a license.
Contact Hours vs. CRCE
Contact Hour is defined as the unit of measurement of organized learning lasting 50 consecutive minutes in non-clinical experience offerings and 100 consecutive minutes for clinical experience.
CRCE is defined as defined as the variety of learning experiences meant to enhance the knowledge of respiratory therapists, enabling them to provide safe, and effective respiratory care to patients. Continuing education may also be used to define learning experiences related to the education and management of respiratory therapists and respiratory therapy services, health promotion and disease management, patient safety, health care cost containment, healthcare law and ethics and emergency preparedness. One CRCE® contact hour is defined as 60 minutes of learning activity.
Continuing Education Period
The period from June 1 of each even numbered year to May 31 of the next even numbered year. Example is June 1 2020 to May 31 2022. During this period of time, a licensed respiratory therapist will be required to obtain 20 contact hours of continuing education.
What Are You Required to Maintain
Except as provided in 261 CMR 5.02, licensees shall:
apply for license renewal on such form as provided by the Board certifying compliance with the continuing education requirements and signed under the pains and penalties of perjury.
maintain the authenticated record of attendance for each continuing education activity/program for two consecutive full licensure periods.
within the time period requested by the Board, submit a notarized copy of the authenticated record(s) of attendance, as described in 261 CMR 5.05(2)(c), for the required number of continuing education contact hours.
What Else Do You Need to Do (NBRC's Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) (effective 1/1/2020)
If you obtained a credential after July 1, 2002 you are required to maintain continuing education to be able to renew your credential (ex. CRT, RRT, RRT-NPS, and others). You have three options for maintaining your credential through the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP)
Option 1: Take quarterly assessments and provide proof of continuing education (CE) as needed.
Option 2: Retake and pass the respective examination for the highest credential held that is subject to expiration.
Option 3: Pass an NBRC credentialing examination not previously completed.
You are required to maintain your continuing education on the NBRC website. For more information, log into the NBRC Member page. The NBRC does not receive your continuing education automatically, please visit www.nbrc.org for more information.
IMPORTANT LINKS
American Association for Respiratory Care - www.aarc.org
Massachusetts Respiratory Care Licensure Board - www.mass.gov/dph/boards/rc
National Board for Respiratory Care - www.nbrc.org
Page updated: 09/29/2021