(a) Completion of continuing education (CE) requirements by licensee with current certification by the ABCP or its successor agency. Completion of continuing education requirements may be documented by demonstrating current certification by the ABCP annual license renewal.     
      (b) Completion of CE requirements by licensee without current certification by the ABCP. A licensee without current certification by the ABCP at the time of license renewal must meet the following criteria.      
        (1) Document a minimum of 30 continuing education credits (CEUs) every 24 months (24 month timeline is in relation to the biennial registration period, not the calendar year). A licensee must report during registration if she or he has completed the required CE. Documentation of CE courses shall be made available to the Board upon request but should not be mailed with the registration payment. Random audits will be made to assure compliance. Of the required CEUs, a course in human trafficking prevention approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission must be completed. A minimum of 15 hours of CEU must be earned in Category I. The activity period covered in the professional activity report is from the date of licensure to the third licensure renewal date and every subsequent third license renewal date.       
        (2) Document a minimum of 40 clinical perfusion cases in a two-year period by submitting a clinical activity report upon renewal, on the approved form, demonstrating completion of 40 cases each biennial as the Primary Perfusionist for Cardiopulmonary bypass (instructor or primary), ECMO, VAD, Isolated Limb Perfusion, or VENO-VENO bypass.       
        (3) One CEU or contact hour activity is defined as 50 minutes spent in an organized, structured or unstructured learning experience. Categories of CEU activities are:                  (A) Category I--Perfusion Meetings and Other Perfusion Related Activity--Perfusion meetings are those programs and seminars in which a minimum of 75% of the contact hours consist of perfusion related material. Only those meetings approved by the ABCP will qualify for Category 1 hours. Examples:                      (i) International, national, regional, and state perfusion meetings.                       (ii) Publication of perfusion related book chapter or paper in a professional journal.                       (iii) Presentation at an international, national, regional, or state perfusion journal.                     (B) Category II--Non-Accredited Perfusion Meetings and Other Medical Meetings--This category includes international, national, regional, and state meetings that have not been approved by the ABCP, local perfusion meetings, and all other medically related meetings. Examples:                      (i) International, national, regional, and state perfusion meetings that have not been accredited by the ABCP.                       (ii) Local perfusion meetings (do not require ABCP accreditation). Any perfusion meeting NOT EQUALLY ACCESSIBLE to the general CCP community, this includes manufacturer-specific and company-sponsored educational activities.                       (iii) International, national, regional, or local medically-related meetings.                     (C) Category III--Individual Education and Other Self-Study Activities Credit in this category is acquired on an hour for hour basis of the time spent in these non-accredited or non-supervised activities. Examples:                      (i) Reading or viewing medical journals, audio-visual, or other educational material.                       (ii) Participation in electronic forums.                       (iii) Participation in a Journal Club.                       (iv) Participation in degree-oriented, professional-related course work.                       (v) Presentation of perfusion topic at a non-perfusion meeting.           
        (4) Documentation of activities. Licensees are responsible for reporting completion of their professional activities. This information must be reported to the board at the time of registration and renewal and documentation must be submitted to the board upon request. Credit will not be granted for activities that are not documented. The suitable documentation is outlined as follows:                  (A) Category I--Perfusion meetings. For approved perfusion meetings, an official document from the meeting sponsor documenting attendance and the number of hours received must be provided.                      (i) Perfusion Publications must have complete reference of book or article (authors, title, journal, and date/volume of journal).                       (ii) Perfusion Presentations must have copy of program agenda.                     (B) Category II--International, national, regional, and state perfusion meetings not accredited by the ABCP, local perfusion meetings and all other medical meetings--must provide an official document stating CEUs awarded and copy of the meeting program.                   (C) Category III--All self-study activities will require an official record of completion or written summary of the activity.                   (D) Submission of a clinical activity report upon renewal, on the approved form, demonstrating completion of 40 cases each biennial as the Primary Perfusionist for Cardiopulmonary bypass (instructor or primary), ECMO, VAD, Isolated Limb Perfusion, or VENO-VENO bypass.         
      (c) A licensee may request in writing an exemption for the following reasons:      
        (1) the licensee's catastrophic illness;       
        (2) the licensee's military service of longer than one year's duration outside the state;       
        (3) the licensee's residence of longer than one year's duration outside the United States; or       
        (4) good cause shown submitted in writing by the licensee that gives satisfactory evidence to the board that the licensee is unable to comply with the requirement for continuing education.       
      (d) Exemptions are subject to the approval of the executive director of the board and must be requested in writing at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the license.     
      (e) An exception under subsection (c) of this section may not exceed one renewal but may be requested again, subject to the approval of the executive director of the board.     
      (f) This section does not prevent the board from taking board action with respect to a licensee or an applicant for a license by requiring additional hours of continuing education or of specific course subjects.     
      (g) The board may require written verification of both formal and informal credits from any licensee within 30 days of request. Failure to provide such verification may result in disciplinary action by the board.     
      (h) Unless exempted under the terms of this section, a licensee's apparent failure to obtain and timely report the number of hours of CE as required and provided for in this section shall result in the denial of licensure renewal until such time as the licensee obtains and reports the required CE hours.     
      (i) CE hours that are obtained to comply with the CE requirements for the preceding renewal period as a prerequisite for obtaining licensure renewal shall first be credited to meet the CE requirements for the previous renewal period. Once the previous renewal period CE requirements are satisfied, any additional hours obtained shall be credited to meet the CE requirements for the current renewal period.     
      (j) A false report or statement to the board by a licensee regarding CE hours reportedly obtained shall be a basis for disciplinary action by the board pursuant to §603.401 of the Act. A licensee who is disciplined by the board for such a violation may be subject to the full range of actions authorized by the Act including suspension or revocation of the perfusionist's license, but such action shall not be less than an administrative penalty of $500.     
      (k) A perfusionist, who is a military service member, may request an extension of time, not to exceed two years, to complete any CE requirements.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §188.24 adopted to be effective July 7, 2016, 41 TexReg 4828; amended to be effective December 31, 2020, 45 TexReg 9526