Texas Respiratory Care Practitioners must complete 24 hours of continuing education every renewal cycle to keep their license active. Your CE cycle is 24 months (biennial) and runs on the same schedule as your license, either June 1–May 31 or December 1–November 30 depending on when your license was issued.
First Renewal requirements:
If your first license cycle is shorter than 24 months, you’re exempt from all CE for that first renewal. If your first cycle is 24 months or longer, you must complete the standard requirements described below.
Traditional vs. Non-Traditional CE
Your 24 hours are split between two delivery types.
Traditional CE (at least 12 hours)
Traditional CE requires real-time interaction between you and the course provider, such as:
- Live lectures, courses, seminars, workshops, and review sessions
- Distance-learning formats with live interaction, such as webcasts, videoconferences, and audio conferences
All traditional CE must be approved, recognized, accepted, or assigned credit by a professional organization — such as the Texas Society for Respiratory Care (TSRC), the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), or the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) — or offered by a federal, state, or local government entity.
Non-Traditional CE (up to 12 hours)
Non-traditional CE is self-directed study with no real-time interaction between you and an instructor; a test at the end of the activity is required to earn credit. Qualifying activities include:
- One academic semester unit or hour of coursework in a respiratory care or related health care program at an accredited institution (15 contact hours)
- Teaching a CE course (1 contact hour per hour taught, credited only once per course)
- Passing a qualifying credentialing or proctored self-evaluation exam — such as the NBRC Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) exam, Clinical Simulation exam, Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty (NPS) exam, Adult Critical Care Specialty (ACCS) exam, Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS) exam, CPFT or RPFT exam, BRPT registration exam, or NAECB AE-C exam (10 contact hours each; a re-credentialing exam counts once every three renewal periods)
- Completing ACLS, PALS, NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program), basic trauma life support, or pre-hospital trauma life support (8 contact hours)
All non-traditional CE must be approved or recognized by a professional organization (TSRC, NBRC, or AARC) or offered by a government entity.
Note on Traditional vs. Non-Traditional CE: This distinction isn’t the same as live vs. on-demand delivery. Some activities — like teaching or receiving academic credit — are always classified as non-traditional CE, regardless of how they’re delivered.
Mandatory Subject Areas
In addition to the traditional/non-traditional split above, your hours must include:
| Requirement | Minimum Hours | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics | 2 hours | Required every renewal cycle. These hours can be either traditional or non-traditional CE. |
| Human Trafficking Prevention Training | Yes/No (hours count toward your 24-hour total) | A course approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is required every cycle. |
Note on Human Trafficking Prevention Training: Hours earned from this course count toward your 24-hour total and can also be applied toward your Ethics requirement, but they’re never counted as Traditional CE, regardless of how the course is delivered.
Simultaneously Applying Hours
- Human Trafficking Prevention Training hours can be applied toward your Ethics requirement.
- Outside of this overlap, hours don’t roll from one subject area to another.
Banking Excess Hours
This profession doesn’t allow excess CE hours to carry over to your next renewal cycle. Any hours completed beyond your 24-hour requirement in a given cycle don’t bank forward.