| (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, an
individual applying for licensure must:
(1) submit an application on forms approved by the
board;
(2) pay the appropriate application fee;
(3) certify that the applicant is mentally and physically
able to function safely as a perfusionist;
(4) not have a license, certification, or registration
in this state or from any other licensing authority or certifying
professional organization that is currently revoked, suspended, or
subject to probation or other disciplinary action for cause;
(5) have no proceedings that have been instituted against
the applicant for the restriction, cancellation, suspension, or revocation
of certificate, license, or authority to practice perfusion in the
state, territory, Canadian province, country, or uniformed service
of the United States in which it was issued;
(6) have no prosecution pending against the applicant
in any state, federal, or Canadian court for any offense that under
the laws of this state is a felony;
(7) be of good professional character;
(8) not have violated any provision of any federal
or state statute relating to confidentiality of patient communications
or records;
(9) not have been convicted of a felony or a crime
involving moral turpitude;
(10) not use drugs or alcohol to an extent that affects
the applicant's professional competency;
(11) not have engaged in fraud or deceit in applying
for a license;
(12) pass an independently evaluated perfusionist examination
approved by the board;
(13) have successfully completed an educational program
as set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph;
(A) A perfusion education program that is accredited
by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
(CAAHEP) at the time of graduation; or
(B) a substantially equivalent program with requirements
as stringent as those established by the Accreditation Committee for
Perfusion Education (AC-PE) and approved by the board.
(i) Degrees and course work received in international
countries shall be acceptable only if the degree or coursework has
educational standards that are as stringent as those established by
the AC-PE and approved by CAAHEP or their successors.
(ii) An international training program shall be acceptable
only if it has educational standards as stringent as those established
by the AC-PE and approved by the CAAHEP or their successors.
(14) submit a complete and legible set of fingerprints,
on a form prescribed by the medical board, to the medical board or
to the Department of Public Safety for the purpose of obtaining criminal
history record information from the Department of Public Safety and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as required by §603.2571
of the Act.
(15) submit to the board any other information the
board considers necessary to evaluate the applicant's qualifications.
(b) Competency Examination. An individual applying
for licensure must submit proof of passage of the required perfusion
examination administered by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion
(ABCP).
(1) If an applicant has already successfully completed
the required examination administered by the ABCP, the applicant shall
not be required to be reexamined, provided that the applicant furnishes
the board with a copy of the test results indicating that the applicant
passed the examination and proof that he or she has been certified
by the ABCP for some time period within three years immediately preceding
date of application.
(2) An applicant who fails the required competency
examination administered by the ABCP four times may not reapply as
a provisional licensed perfusionist.
(3) The board shall waive the examination requirement
for an applicant who, at the time of application:
(A) is licensed or certified by another state that
has licensing or certification requirements that the board determines
to be substantially equivalent to the requirements of this chapter;
or
(B) holds a certificate as a certified clinical perfusionist
issued by the ABCP before January 1, 1994, authorizing the holder
to practice perfusion in a state that does not license or certify
perfusionists.
(c) Jurisprudence Examination. Applicants for licensure
must pass a jurisprudence examination ("JP exam"), which shall be
conducted on the licensing requirements and other laws, rules, or
regulations applicable to the perfusionist profession in this state.
The jurisprudence examination shall be developed and administered
as follows:
(1) Questions for the JP Exam shall be prepared by
agency staff with input from the Advisory Committee and board and
the agency staff shall make arrangements for a facility by which applicants
can take the examination.
(2) Applicants must pass the JP exam with a score of
75 or better.
(3) An examinee shall not be permitted to bring books,
compends, notes, journals, calculators or other help into the examination
room, nor be allowed to communicate by word or sign with another examinee
while the examination is in progress without permission of the presiding
examiner, nor be allowed to leave the examination room except when
so permitted by the presiding examiner.
(4) Irregularities during an examination such as giving
or obtaining unauthorized information or aid as evidenced by observation
or subsequent statistical analysis of answer sheets, shall be sufficient
cause to terminate an applicant's participation in an examination,
invalidate the applicant's examination results, or take other appropriate
action.
(5) A person who has passed the JP Exam shall not be
required to retake the Exam for another or similar license, except
as a specific requirement of the board.
(6) The JP examination must be taken and passed no
more than two years prior to the date of the application for licensure.
(d) Alternative License Procedures for Military Service
Members, Military Veterans, and Military Spouses.
(1) An applicant who is a military service member,
military veteran, or military spouse may be eligible for alternative
demonstrations of competency for certain licensure requirements. Unless
specifically allowed in this subsection, an applicant must meet the
requirements for licensure as specified in this chapter.
(2) To be eligible, an applicant must be a military
service member, military veteran, or military spouse and meet one
of the following requirements:
(A) holds an active unrestricted perfusionist license
issued by another state that has licensing requirements that are substantially
equivalent to the requirements for a Texas perfusionist license; or
(B) within the five years preceding the application
date held a perfusionist license in this state.
(3) The executive director may waive any prerequisite
to obtaining a license for an applicant described by this subsection
after reviewing the applicant's credentials.
(4) Applications for licensure from applicants qualifying
under this section, shall be expedited by the board's licensure division.
Such applicants shall be notified, in writing or by electronic means,
as soon as practicable, of the requirements and process for renewal
of the license.
(5) Alternative Demonstrations of Competency Allowed.
Applicants qualifying under this section, notwithstanding:
(A) the one year expiration in §188.5 of this
chapter (relating to Procedural Rules for Licensure Applicants), are
allowed an additional six months to complete the application prior
to it becoming inactive; and
(B) the requirement to produce a copy of a valid and
current certificate demonstrating completion of an educational program
as described in this section and required in §188.6 of this chapter
(relating to Licensure Documentation), may substitute certification
from the ABCP if it is made on a valid examination transcript.
(e) Applicants with Military Experience.
(1) The board shall, with respect to an applicant who
is a military service member or military veteran as defined in §188.2
of this chapter (relating to Definitions), credit verified military
service, training, or education toward the licensing requirements,
other than an examination requirement, for a license issued by the
board.
(2) This section does not apply to an applicant who:
(A) has had a perfusionist license suspended or revoked
by another state, territory, Canadian province or country;
(B) holds a perfusionist license issued by another
state, territory, Canadian province or country that is subject to
a restriction, disciplinary order, or probationary order; or
(C) has an unacceptable criminal history.
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