(a) Continuing competence is the ongoing acquisition and maintenance of the professional knowledge, skill, and ability of the PT or PTA through successful completion of educational and professional activities related to the physical therapy profession.     
      (b) All continuing competence activities submitted to satisfy renewal requirements must be board-approved by an organization selected by the board.     
      (c) For each biennial renewal, physical therapists must complete a total of 30 continuing competence units (CCUs); physical therapist assistants must complete a total of 20 CCUs. A CCU is the relative value assigned to continuing competence activities based on specific criteria developed by the Board.     
      (d) Continuing competence activities utilized to fulfill renewal requirements must be completed within the 24 months prior to the license expiration date.     
      (e) Licensees must maintain original continuing competence activity completion documents, as specified in §341.3 of this title (relating to Qualifying Continuing Competence Activities), for four years after the license expiration date.     
      (f) All licensees must complete a board-approved jurisprudence assessment module as part of their total continuing competence requirement. The jurisprudence assessment module shall be assigned a CCU value and standard approval number by the board and shall include at a minimum the following components:      
        (1) The theoretical basis for ethical decision-making;       
        (2) APTA's Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist and Guide for Professional Conduct, and the Guide for Conduct of the Physical Therapist Assistant and Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant;       
        (3) Legal standards of behavior (including but not limited to the Act and Rules of the board); and       
        (4) Application of content to real and/or hypothetical situations.       
      (g) The executive council will conduct an audit of a random sample of licensees at least quarterly to determine compliance with continuing competence requirements. Failure to maintain accurate documentation, or failure to respond to a request to submit documentation for an audit within 30 days of the date on the request, may result in disciplinary action by the board.      
        (1) Licensees who are more than 90 days late in renewing a license are not included in the audit, and must submit documentation of continuing competence activities at time of renewal.       
        (2) The board or its committees may request proof of completion of continuing competence activities claimed for renewal purposes at any time from any licensee.       
      (h) If the board chooses to authorize an organization(s) to approve continuing competence activities, the board shall select an appropriate organization(s) pursuant to §323.4 of this title, Request for Proposals for Outsourced Services.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §341.2 adopted to be effective February 18, 2001, 26 TexReg 1339; amended to be effective August 15, 2001, 26 TexReg 6022; amended to be effective February 17, 2005, 30 TexReg 717; amended to be effective June 7, 2009, 34 TexReg 3516; amended to be effective July 21, 2010, 35 TexReg 6285; amended to be effective February 11, 2014, 39 TexReg 650; amended to be effective May 22, 2017, 42 TexReg 2723; amended to be effective March 1, 2018, 43 TexReg 776; amended to be effective November 11, 2018, 43 TexReg 7354