22 Tex. Admin. Code § 341.2 – Continuing Competence Requirements

(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 as established in subsection (i) of this section.
(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. (1) The theoretical basis for ethical decision-making;
2. (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. (3) Legal standards of behavior (including but not limited to the Act and Rules of the board); and
4. (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. (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. (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.
(i) Pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the board, the Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) shall act as a board-approved organization and shall be authorized to accredit providers and to evaluate and approve continuing competence activities for purposes of compliance with mandatory CC requirements as set by the board. This authority shall include authority to give, deny, withdraw and limit accreditation of providers and approval of competence activities, and to charge and collect fees as set forth in the MOU and in the statute and rules governing the board and the practice of physical therapy in Texas.
1. (1) A program may be approved before or after the licensee attends it, but must be approved prior to license renewal.
2. (2) To apply for continuing competence review, the licensee or sponsor/provider must submit a fee as approved by the board with the CC review application and any additional documentation as specified in this section to the TPTA. Interested parties may contact the TPTA in Austin, Texas, (512) 477-1818, www.tpta.org.
  1. (A) Accredited providers and course sponsors are authorized to use the following statements to notify licensees of approval.
    1. (i) Sponsors of approved activities.
      1. (I) The following statement is authorized for use in publicity: "This activity has been approved by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners for ____ CCUs for PTs and PTAs."
      2. (II) The following statement is authorized for use on certificates of completion only: "This activity has been approved by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, approval #____, for ____ CCUs for PTs and PTAs."
    2. (ii) Accredited providers.
      1. (I) The following statement is authorized for use in publicity: "This activity is offered by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider #______ and provides _____ CCUs for PTs and PTAs licensed in Texas."
      2. (II) The following statement is authorized for use on certificates of completion only: "This activity is offered by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider #______ and provides _____ CCUs for PTs and PTAs licensed in Texas."
  2. (B) Sponsors of activities that have not received an approval number from the TPTA are not authorized to include a statement implying pending or future approval of that activity by the board.
  3. (C) A course is approved only for the accredited provider offering the course or the sponsor submitting it for approval. Course approval may not be transferred from one provider or sponsor to another.
3. (3) Interested parties may contact the TPTA to inquire if a particular activity is approved. A list of approved activities is available on the TPTA web site.
4. (4) Pursuant to the MOU, the TPTA shall provide quarterly reports to the board of its activities. Additionally, the TPTA shall report to the board the results of periodic quality assurance follow-up or review of a representative sample of approved continuing competence activities. In the event of sponsor/provider noncompliance, results will be reported to the board in writing for further investigation and direction.

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.