Section 1200-06-01-.12 - CONTINUING EDUCATION(1) Basic requirements - The Tennessee Medical Laboratory Board requires each licensee to successfully complete twenty-four (24) hours of approved continuing education pertaining to laboratory technology or laboratory management for the two (2) calendar year (January 1-December 31) period that precedes the licensure renewal year. New licensees are not subject to a continuing education audit until completion of the first license renewal cycle. (a) The following organizations, entities, and their affiliates and chapters are authorized to present or sponsor courses for continuing education credit:1. American Association of Blood Banks.2. American Board of Bioanalysis.3. American Board of Clinical Chemistry.4. American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics.5. American Board of Medical Genetics.6. American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology.7. American Board of Medical Microbiology.8. American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.9. American Board of Pathology.10. American College of Health Care Executives.11. American Medical Association.12. American Medical Technologists (AMT).13. American Osteopathic Board of Pathology.15. American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.16. American Society for Clinical Pathologists (ASCP).17. American Society of Cytopathology.18. American Society for Cytotechnology.19. American Society for Microbiology.20. Center for Phlebotomy Education.21. Centers for Disease Control.22. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.23. Clinical Laboratory Management Association.24. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).25. College of American Pathologists.26. Greater Memphis Association of Blood Banks.27. International Academy of Cytology.28. National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).29. National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN).30. Southern Association of Clinical Microbiologists.31. Tennessee Association of Blood Banks.32. Tennessee Department of Health.33. Tennessee Hospital Association.34. Tennessee Medical Association.35. Tennessee Professional Assistance Program (TN-PAP) or any Board-approved peer assistance program.36. Tennessee Society of Pathologists.37. Tennessee Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists.38. Tennessee State Society of American Medical Technologists.39. Accredited colleges and universities.40. Hospitals licensed by the Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Health Care Facilities.41. Laboratories, blood donor centers, plasmapheresis centers, ambulatory surgical treatment centers, and collection stations licensed by the Board whose continuing education courses have been approved by the medical laboratory director or his/her designee.42. Organizations and entities approved by other state laboratory personnel licensing agencies.43. Organizations and entities approved as P.A.C.E.® (Professional Acknowledgment for Continuing Education) course providers.(b) Continuing education credit for preparing and teaching continuing education courses -Credit may be earned by preparing and teaching a course presented, sponsored, or approved by an organization or entity listed in subparagraph (a). Documentation of preparing and teaching continuing education courses shall be required as provided in paragraph (3).1. Courses that were prepared by developing thorough, high quality, readable and carefully prepared written materials will qualify for continuing education credit on the basis of four (4) hours of credit for each hour taught.2. Courses that were prepared by developing less than five (5) pages of outlines, or not accompanied by written materials, will qualify for continuing education credit on the basis of two (2) credits for each hour taught.3. Repeat courses qualify for one-half (1/2) of the credits awarded for the initial course.4. On-site commentators at multi-media courses will receive credit at the rate of two (2) hours for each hour of the program if they have either viewed the course in advance or otherwise engaged in preparation appropriate to the role of commentator.5. Each teacher involved in a joint or panel portion of an approved activity shall receive credit as though he or she were the only teacher.6. No more than eight (8) hours of continuing education credit shall be awarded for preparing and teaching continuing education courses during any two (2) calendar year period.(c) Continuing education credit for published articles - Four (4) hours credit may be earned by preparing and writing an article pertaining to laboratory technology or laboratory management that is published in a peer review journal.(d) Continuing education credit will be assigned on the following basis:1. Any single session lasting not less than two and one-half (21/2) clock hours will be assigned three (3) hours of continuing education credit.2. Any single session lasting not less than one (1) clock hour and forty (40) clock minutes will be assigned two (2) hours of continuing education credit.3. Any single session lasting not less than fifty (50) clock minutes will be assigned one (1) hour of continuing education credit.4. The hours assigned shall be based on actual instruction or program time, excluding registration time and breaks, but including question and answer time.5. The new licensee is not subject to a continuing education audit until completion of the first license renewal cycle.(2) Documentation(a) Each licensee must retain proof of attendance and completion of all continuing education requirements for a period of three (3) years from the end of the two (2) calendar year period in which the continuing education was required. This documentation shall be produced for a continuing education audit, if requested in writing by the Board, during its verification process. The Board will not maintain continuing education files for individual licensees.(b) If a licensee submits documentation for training that is not clearly identifiable as appropriate continuing education, the Board will request a written description of the training and its applicability. If the Board determines that the training can not be considered appropriate continuing education, the individual will be given ninety (90) days to replace the hours not allowed. Those hours will be considered replacement hours and cannot be counted toward completion of any other continuing education requirement.(3) Continuing Education Formats(a) Continuing education courses may be presented in the traditional lecture and classroom formats or, with successful completion of a written post experience examination to evaluate material retention, in multi-media and/or electronic formats.(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (4)(a), if a continuing education course includes a laboratory experience as a component of the course, the laboratory experience must occur at or be provided by a CLIA-approved site or an accredited college or university.(4) Continuing education credit will not be allowed for the following: (a) Membership in, holding office in, or participation on boards or committees, business meetings of professional organizations, or banquet speeches.(b) Regular work activities, administrative staff meetings, case staffing/reporting, etc., except as provided in subparagraph (1)(b).(5) Continuing Education for Reactivation or Reinstatement of Retired or Expired License.(a) Reinstatement of Retired License - Upon application for reinstatement, an individual whose license has been retired for two (2) years or less will be required to fulfill continuing education requirements as outlined in this rule.(b) Reinstatement of Expired Licensure - No person whose license has expired may be reinstated without submitting evidence of continuing education. The continuing education hours documented at the time of reinstatement must equal the hours required, had the license remained in active status, and must have begun and been successfully completed before the date of reinstatement. However, the person shall not be required to complete more than thirty-six hours of continuing education.(c) Continuing education hours obtained as a prerequisite for reactivating or reinstating a license may not be counted toward completion of any current two (2) calendar year requirement.(6) Violations (a) Any licensee who falsely certifies attendance and completion of the required hours of continuing education requirements, or who does not or can not adequately substantiate completed continuing education hours with the required documentation, may be subject to disciplinary action.(b) Prior to the institution of any disciplinary proceedings, a letter shall be issued to the last known address of the individual stating the facts or conduct which warrant the intended action.(c) The licensee has thirty (30) days from the date of notification to show compliance with all lawful requirements for the retention of the license.(d) Any licensee who fails to show compliance with the required continuing education hours in response to the notice contemplated by subparagraph (b) may be subject to disciplinary action.(e) Continuing education hours obtained as a result of compliance with the terms of a Board Order in any disciplinary action shall not be credited toward any continuing education requirement.(7) Deadline Extension of Continuing Education Requirements (a) The Board or its designee may grant a maximum extension of six (6) months to complete the required hours of continuing education if it can be shown that compliance was beyond the physical or mental capabilities of the licensee seeking the deadline extension.(b) Extension of the deadline will be considered only on an individual basis and may be requested by submitting the following items to the Board's administrative office: 1. A written request for a deadline extension which specifies which deadline is sought to be extended and a written and signed explanation of the reason for the request; and2. Any documentation which supports the reason(s) for the deadline extension requested or which is subsequently requested by the Board.(c) A deadline extension approved by the Board is effective only for the two (2) calendar year period for which the deadline extension is sought.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-06-01-.12
Original rule filed August 8, 2005; effective October 22, 2005. Amendment filed April 17, 2007; effective July 1, 2007. Amendment filed April 1, 2009; effective June 15, 2009. Amendment filed April 22, 2010; effective July 21, 2010. Amendments filed January 13, 2022; effective 4/13/2022.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 68-29-105, and 68-29-119.