| (a) A nurse must meet either the requirements of this
subsection or subsection (b) of this section. A nurse may choose to
complete 20 contact hours of continuing nursing education (CNE) in
the nurse's area of practice within licensing period, as defined in
this chapter. These contact hours shall be obtained by participation
in programs approved by a credentialing agency or provider recognized
by the Board. A list of these agencies/providers may be obtained from
the Board's office or website.
(b) A nurse must meet either the requirements of this
subsection or subsection (a) of this section. A nurse may choose to
demonstrate the achievement, maintenance, or renewal of a Board approved
national nursing certification in the nurse's area of practice within
the licensing period, as defined in this chapter. A list of approved
national nursing certifications may be obtained from the Board's office
or website.
(c) Requirements for the APRN. A nurse licensed by
the Board as an APRN is required to complete 20 contact hours of continuing
education or achieve, maintain, or renew the national nursing certification
recognized by the Board as meeting the certification requirement for
the APRN's role and population focus area of licensure within the
licensing period, as defined in this chapter.
(1) The required 20 contact hours are not in addition
to the requirements of subsection (a) or (b) of this section.
(2) The 20 contact hours of continuing education must
be appropriate to the advanced practice role and population focus
area recognized by the Board.
(3) The APRN who holds prescriptive authority must
complete, in addition to the requirements of this subsection, at least
five additional contact hours of continuing education in pharmacotherapeutics
within the licensing period.
(4) The APRN who has entered into a prescriptive authority
agreement authorizing the prescribing of opioids must complete not
less than two (2) hours of continuing education annually regarding
safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of
opioids and other controlled substances, including education regarding
reason-able standards of care; the identification of drug-seeking
behavior in patients; and effectively communicating with patients
regarding the prescription of an opioid or other controlled substance.
This requirement applies to renewal of licensure on or after January
1, 2021.
(5) The APRN whose practice includes the prescription
of opioids must attend at least one (1) hour of continuing education
annually covering best practices, alternative treatment options, and
multi-modal approaches to pain management that may include physical
therapy, psychotherapy, and other treatments. The content of the continuing
education described by this paragraph must meet the requirements set
forth by the Texas Pharmacy Board. This requirement applies to renewal
of licensure on or after September 1, 2019, and expires on August
31, 2023.
(6) The APRN who is licensed prior to September 1,
2020, and authorized to receive information from the prescription
monitoring program (PMP) authorized by Chapter 481, Health and Safety
Code, must complete two (2) hours of continuing education related
to approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances
no later than September 1, 2021. The APRN licensed after September
1, 2020, and authorized to receive information from the PMP, must
complete the continuing education required by this paragraph no later
than one year after the APRN's initial licensure date. This is a one-time
education requirement.
(7) Category I Continuing Medical Education (CME) contact
hours will meet requirements as described in this chapter, unless
otherwise prohibited.
(d) Forensic Evidence Collection.
(1) Pursuant to the Health and Safety Code §323.004
and §323.0045, a nurse licensed in Texas or holding a privilege
to practice in Texas, including an APRN, who performs a forensic examination
on a sexual assault survivor must have basic forensic evidence collection
training or the equivalent education prior to performing the examination.
This requirement may be met through the completion of CNE that meets
the requirements of this subsection. This is a one-time requirement.
An APRN may use continuing medical education in forensic evidence
collection that is approved by the Texas Medical Board to satisfy
this requirement.
(2) A nurse licensed in Texas or holding a privilege
to practice in Texas, including an APRN, who is employed in an emergency
room (ER) setting must complete a minimum of two contact hours of
CNE relating to forensic evidence collection that meets the requirements
of this subsection within two years of the initial date of the nurse's
employment in an ER setting. This is a one-time requirement.
(A) This requirement applies to nurses who work in
an ER setting that is:
(i) the nurse's home unit;
(ii) an ER unit to which the nurse "floats" or schedules
shifts; or
(iii) a nurse employed under contractual, temporary,
per diem, agency, traveling, or other employment relationship whose
duties include working in an ER.
(B) A nurse shall be considered to have met the requirements
of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection if the nurse:
(i) completed CNE during the time period of February
19, 2006 through September 1, 2013; and
(ii) the CNE met the requirements of the Board's rules
related to forensic evidence collection that were in effect from February
19, 2006 through September 1, 2013.
(C) Completion of at least two contact hours of CNE
that meets the requirements of this subsection may simultaneously
satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.
(3) A nurse who would otherwise be exempt from CNE
requirements for issuance of the initial Texas license and for the
immediate licensing period following initial Texas licensure under §216.8(b)
or (c) of this chapter (relating to Relicensure Process) shall comply
with the requirements of this section. In compliance with §216.7(b)
of this chapter (relating to Responsibilities of Individual Licensee),
each licensee is responsible for maintaining records of CNE completion.
Record of course completion in forensic evidence collection should
be retained by the nurse indefinitely, even if a nurse changes employment.
(4) Continuing education completed under this subsection
shall include information relevant to forensic evidence collection
and age or population-specific nursing interventions that may be required
by other laws and/or are necessary in order to assure evidence collection
that meets requirements under the Government Code §420.031 regarding
use of an Attorney General-approved evidence collection kit and protocol.
Content may also include, but is not limited to, documentation, history-taking
skills, use of sexual assault kit, survivor symptoms, and emotional
and psychological support interventions for victims.
(5) The hours of continuing education completed under
this subsection shall count towards completion of the 20 contact hours
of CNE required in subsection (a) of this section. Certification related
to forensic evidence collection that is approved by the Board may
be used to fulfill the requirements of this subsection.
(e) A nurse who holds or is seeking to hold a valid
Volunteer Retired (VR) Nurse Authorization in compliance with the
Occupations Code §112.051 and §301.261(e) and §217.9(e)
of this title (relating to Inactive and Retired Status):
(1) Must, if licensed by the Board as a LVN and/or
RN, have completed at least 10 contact hours of CNE in his or her
area of practice within the two years immediately preceding application
for, or renewal of, VR status.
(2) Must, if licensed by the Board as an APRN, have
completed at least 20 contact hours of continuing education in his
or her area of practice within the two years immediately preceding
application for, or renewal of, VR status. The 20 hours of continuing
education must meet the same criteria as APRN continuing education
defined under subsection (c) of this section. A nurse authorized as
a VR-RN/APRN may not hold prescriptive authority. This does not preclude
a registered nurse from placing his or her APRN license on inactive
status and applying for authorization only as a VR-RN.
(3) Is exempt from fulfilling targeted continuing education
requirements.
(f) Tick-Borne Diseases. An APRN whose practice includes
the treatment of tick-borne diseases is encouraged to participate
in continuing education relating to the treatment of tick-borne diseases.
The continuing education course(s) should contain information relevant
to treatment of the disease within the APRN's role and population
focus area of licensure and may represent a spectrum of relevant medical
clinical treatment relating to tick-borne disease. Completion of CME
in the treatment of tick-borne disease that meets the requirements
of this subsection shall count towards completion of the 20 contact
hours of continuing education required for APRNs in subsection (c)
of this section. Cont'd... |
