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The Tennessee Board of Respiratory Care has revised the rules governing continuing education (CE). The new rules take effect on November 26, 2015.
The CE hours obtained by respiratory therapists must meet the following requirements:
- Each respiratory therapist who holds a Tennessee license must get 12 hours of CE every calendar year. The previous requirement was 10 hours.
- At least 5 of the 12 hours must pertain to the clinical practice of respiratory care or to research related to the cardio-pulmonary system.
- At least 1 of the 12 hours must pertain to “patient safety” (as that term is defined by the Joint Commission).
- At least 1 of the 12 hours must be a course focused on the professional or ethical standards required of respiratory therapists.
- The remaining 5 hours may pertain to other topics, such as education or management.
The list of organizations whose CE activities and programs are considered pre-approved has been revised and expanded. This is the new list: