N.J. Admin. Code § 7:28-19.17

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 7:28-19.17 - Radiologist assistant schools and clinical education centers

(a) No school shall assign a radiologist assistant student to a New Jersey clinical education center for training as a radiologist assistant, unless the school is recognized by the Board.

(b) In order to be Board-recognized, a radiologist assistant school shall submit a complete application to the Department. The Department will forward all complete applications to the Board for its consideration. If the application is incomplete, the Department shall notify the school. The school shall be provided an opportunity to complete the application within 90 calendar days of receipt of such notice. If after 90 days the application is still incomplete, the Department will forward the incomplete application to the Board for consideration. A complete application shall include:

1. The name, address, and contact information of the school;

2. The name and credentials of the program director or directors;

3. Proof that the school is approved by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist or another accreditation agency recognized by the Board;

4. A demonstration that the school complies with (c) and (e)2 through 7 below; and

5. The last three annual examination reports of the school's radiologist assistant graduates' first-time examination performance on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or another certifying board recognized by the Board. A school that has graduated students for less than three years shall submit the most recent annual examination reports, if any.

(c) The Board will recognize a radiologist assistant school in which the educational curriculum contains, at a minimum, the following content: patient assessment, management and education; pharmacology and clinical decision making in radiology; contrast media; pathophysiology; radiographic and fluoroscopic procedures; fluoroscopic unit operation and safety; radiation safety; radiation biology; health physics; image correlation to anatomy, physiology, and pathology; clinical pathways related to radiology; quality of care review and audit; directed readings and research; medico-legal and professional standards and governmental standards; and clinical education, which includes testing to determine clinical competency. The curriculum may follow the American Society of Radiologic Technologists curriculum or any nationally recognized curriculum, provided that it does not conflict with this section.

(d) A radiologist assistant student who is enrolled in, and attending, a Board-recognized school, who is acting within the school's curriculum and possesses a valid diagnostic radiologic technology license issued by the Board, is permitted to perform delegated fluoroscopic procedures in New Jersey under the appropriate supervision as prescribed at (e)6 below.

(e) Any radiologist assistant school that assigns radiologist assistant students to a clinical education centerin New Jersey shall:

1. Be recognized by the Board;

2. Ensure that each student assigned to New Jersey clinical education centers possesses and maintains a valid diagnostic radiologic technology license issued by the Board;

3. Develop and implement a log to track fluoroscopic procedures that are performed by each radiologist assistant student assigned to a New Jersey clinical education center. This log shall include, but not be limited to, the name of the student, the procedure performed, the name of the supervisor responsible for the procedure, the type of supervision provided, and the fluoroscopic time used. The school shall ensure that the log is reviewed at least weekly by the supervising radiologist. If a trend of unexplained high use of fluoroscopic time is identified, the school shall ensure that corrective action by the supervising radiologist is implemented and recorded in the student's file;

4. Develop and implement for each student assigned to a clinical education center in New Jersey an educational plan for competency-based clinical education, which shall include, but not be limited to, didactic and laboratory instruction, clinical practice, clinical competency testing, and remediation for failed competency evaluations. The school shall ensure that no person other than a radiologist determines clinical competency;

5. Prior to the start of the assignment at a clinical education center in New Jersey, inform the Department of the location where the radiologist assistant student will be assigned for clinical education, the name of each supervising radiologist, and the length of the assignment;

6. Ensure that each radiologist assistant student assigned to a clinical education center in New Jersey perform delegated fluoroscopic procedures, as prescribed below, under the appropriate level of supervision of a radiologist or a radiologist assistant:

i. Only a radiologist can determine whether a student is clinically competent to perform a delegated fluoroscopic procedure.

ii. Subject to (e)6iii below, a student shall perform each delegated fluoroscopic procedure under direct supervision as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:28-19.2by a supervising radiologist or a radiologist assistant who is under the supervision of a radiologist, in accordance with the requirements of the Board of Medical Examiners at N.J.A.C. 13:35.

iii. If expressly allowed by the rules of the Board of Medical Examiners, N.J.A.C. 13:35, a student who is determined to be clinically competent in a given delegated fluoroscopic procedure may perform that procedure without direct supervision, provided that a supervising radiologist or a radiologist assistant under the supervision of a radiologist is on site and immediately available to furnish assistance and direction throughout the performance of the procedure; and

7. Provide remedial instructionto a radiologist assistant student assigned to a New Jersey clinical education center* for any procedure that is performed by a radiologist assistant student and found to be unacceptable by the supervising radiologist or radiologist assistant. If the student's performance of the procedure is determined to be unacceptable after a student has been determined to be clinically competent, the school shall ensure that the student's performance of the procedure is directly supervised as required pursuant to (e) 6ii above until a radiologist determines that the student is clinically competent to perform that procedure. All remedial instruction shall be documented in the student's file.

(f) A clinical education center *in New Jersey* that provides clinical education to radiologist assistant students shall comply with (e)2 through 7 above. *An out-of-State clinical education center that provides clinical education to radiologist assistant students from a New Jersey radiologist assistant school shall comply with the requirements of the state in which it is located.*

(g) In order to maintain Board recognition, a school shall:

1. Comply with this section;

2. Maintain approval by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist or another accreditation agency recognized by the Board;

3. Inform the Department within 15 calendar days of any change that could adversely affect the school's ability to fulfill its ability to provide students with appropriate didactic and laboratory instruction and clinical assignments, or has altered how the school operates, since its recognition by the Board. Such changes include, but are not limited to, a change in approval status as required in (g)2 above or change of curriculum;

4. Permit one or more Board representatives or Department employees to conduct a site inspection and make available such information, records, or persons that may be needed to determine compliance with the requirements of this section; and

5. Not have more than two consecutive years in which the first-time pass rate is below 75 percent for students taking the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists examination or another certifying board recognized by the Board.

(h) A school that is found not in compliance with (g) above may have its recognition terminated.

(i) A school whose application for recognition is denied, or a Board-recognized school whose recognition has been terminated, may request a hearing as provided at N.J.A.C. 7:28-19.18.

(j) A list of Board-recognized radiologist assistant schools may be obtained from the Bureau of X-ray Compliance website at www.xray.nj.gov .

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:28-19.17

Amended by 46 N.J.R. 768(a), effective 5/5/2014.

Amended and recodified to 7:28-19.18 by 52 N.J.R. 1267(a), effective 6/15/2020