(a) Licenses shall expire on October 31st of each year and may be renewed by providing the Board with the following post marked on or prior to the license expiration date: - (i) Payment of the renewal fee; and
- (ii) Complete application for renewal; and
- (iii) Verification of compliance with the continuing education requirements as set out below.
(b) Each licensee shall earn a minimum of eight (8) contact hours of continuing education every year, with no more than four (4) hours of training in ACLS/PALS/NRP or any combination thereof. Basic CPR training is not accepted as continuing education towards license renewal. - (i) Contact hours for purposes of this section shall be the actual number of hours during which instruction was received. A minimum of fifty (50) minutes constitutes a contact hour. For academic courses, one (1) semester credit equals fifteen (15) contact hours.
- (ii) Continuing education activity must be completed during the twelve (12) months prior to the license expiration date. The thirty (30) day reinstatement period for renewal shall also apply to the continuing education requirement; however, any activities completed after October 31st and applied to the previous renewal period may not be reported on the next renewal application.
- (iii) Excess continuing education credit hours acquired in one twelve (12) month period may not be carried forward to the next period.
- (iv) Any identical course or program may be submitted for continuing education credit only once every two (2) years.
- (v) The following standards shall govern acceptability of continuing education activities:
- (A) These activities shall have significant intellectual or practical content, and the primary objective shall be to increase the participant's competence in the practice of respiratory care.
- (B) These activities shall constitute an organized program of learning dealing with matters directly related to the clinical practice, professional responsibility or ethical obligations of respiratory care practitioners.
- (C) Presenters of acceptable activities should be experts in respiratory care. The scope of practice in these rules and regulations may be used as a basis of what knowledge and skills are acceptable to the Board as continuing education activities.
- (D) Continuing education programs sponsored by the following organizations, which are germane to the profession of respiratory care, are approved by the board: Institutions approved by the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education, Respiratory Care Accreditation Board or other successor accreditation organizations and courses approved by the American Association for Respiratory Care, the Wyoming Society for Respiratory Care, the American Thoracic Societies, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the National Society for Cardiopulmonary Technologists, the American Lung Association, the American Lung Association of Wyoming, the Wyoming Heart Association, the Wyoming and American Medical Association, the Wyoming Hospital Association and Respiratory Care Journal (sponsored by the American Association of Respiratory Care).
- (E) Continuing education programs not sponsored by the above organizations may be submitted for review and approval by the Board.
- (F) A maximum of four (4) hours of continuing education credit may be applied to this requirement for teaching, with credit being awarded on a two-to-one ratio. For a one (1) hour presentation, the presenter will be awarded two (2) hours of continuing education credits.
- (I) This includes teaching addressed to allied health professionals. Any given activity may be submitted for continuing education credit units only once.
- (II) To be applicable the teaching activity must be different from the licensee's usual and customary professional employment.
- (III) Individuals employed by universities and colleges may not claim teaching credit units for conducting courses that are a part of the regular course offering of those institutions, even if those courses are offered in the evening or summer, or for individuals enrolled in a degree program or vocational technical schools.
- (vi) Licensees shall attest to the number of continuing education hours completed.
- (vii) Licensees shall report their continuing education activities in a manner determined by the Board.
- (viii) Licensees shall maintain copies of any certificates of attendance, letters certifying attendance, transcripts, or any official documents which serve as proof of participation or attendance for at least two (2) years from the date submitted for renewal.
- (A) Proof of attendance shall contain the activity title, dates, contact hours attended, sponsor, presenter, and the name of the Licensee.
- (ix) Approximately sixty (60) days prior to the renewal date the Board will send a renewal application to the address of record.
- (x) Renewal applications will not be accepted more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the expiration date.
- (xi) Renewal applications received by the Board which are postmarked after October 31st or after the next business day in cases when October 31st falls on a weekend, will not be processed and the license will expire for failure to timely and sufficiently secure renewal. Electronic renewal applications will not be accepted after midnight on October 31st, and for reinstatement after midnight on November 30th.
- (xii) Failure to receive an application for renewal from the Board does not excuse a Licensee from the requirement for renewal under the Act and these rules.
(c) The required hours of continuing education will be prorated for the first renewal of a license as follows: - (i) Issued November 1st through January 31st, eight (8) hours of continuing education are required.
- (ii) Issued February 1st through April 30th, six (6) hours of continuing education are required.
- (iii) Issued May 1st through July 31st, four (4) hours of continuing education are required.
- (iv) Issued August 1st through October 31st, two (2) hours of continuing education are required.