Continuing Competence
CC and CE
Continuing competence (CC) is the lifelong process of maintaining and documenting professional competence through ongoing self-assessment, development and implementation of a personal learning plan, and subsequent reassessment. Continuing Education (CE), in the traditional classroom-based format, was once the only activity available to help licensees maintain their professional competence. It is now only one of a growing number of activities, such as specialty exams, residencies, and the FSBPT Practice Review Tools, that the Board recognizes as promoting continuing competence.
Texas PTs and PTAs are legally required to complete continuing competence (CC) activities to maintain professional licensure - for PTs, 30 units (CCUs) during each two-year renewal cycle, for PTAs, 20 units (CCUs). One CCU is the equivalent of one hour's credit for continuing education or a continuing competence activity.
CE Audit
The Board performs a quarterly CC audit of licenses renewed in a previous quarter. This audit requires randomly selected licensees to send in copies of continuing competency activities used to meet license renewal requirements. If a license is renewed without the required CCUs, the licensee is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including license suspension or revocation.
Approval of Activities/Courses by TPTA
List of Approved Specialty Exams
All activities - including college courses and residencies, fellowships, and exams - used for renewal purposes must be approved by the TPTA. To submit a course for approval, or to see if a course has already been approved, go to TPTA's website. TPTA's course approval list also shows if a course meets the ethics course requirement for renewal. (Only programs with supplemental ethics approval may be used to meet the ethics requirement.) A course may be submitted for approval before or after a licensee takes it, but must be approved prior to the date of the license renewal.
If a course has not already submitted for approval by the provider or sponsor, it is the responsibility of the licensee to submit it for approval. For more information about continuing competence, please refer to Chapter 341, License Renewal.
FAQs
Is a continuing competence unit (CCU) the same as a continuing education unit (CEU)?
Although both are used to state the amount of credit a licensee receives for completing a continuing competence activity, a CCU and a CEU are calculated differently. A CCU has a 1:1 relationship to credit hours (i.e., one hour equals one CCU), while a CEU has a 10:1 relationship (i.e. 10 hours equal one CEU).
Other examples:
- .1 CEU = 1 CCU (1 hour)
- 1.5 CEU = 15 CCUs (15 hours)
Many states and many professions continue to use the 10:1 ratio and use the term CEU when awarding credit. This means that many of the completion certificates issued by national course providers will continue to state that you have completed a course worth a certain number of CEUs. The Board will continue to accept certificates that use the old terminology. To avoid any confusion about what a course is “worth,” make sure you pay attention to how the provider expresses the credit awarded. If the certificate grants a certain number of CEUs, multiply that number by 10 for the number of CCUs. If it says your attendance was worth a specific number of hours, that is exactly the number of CCUs that course is worth.
Does a specialty certification need to be approved for each person who is certified?
No. Although someone does need to submit the initial application to get approval for a specialty certification, once that certification is approved for credit, no one else must submit it for approval. Check TPTA's website for the list of specialty certifications that have been approved, and for information about submitting one for approval.
If I attend a large conference with concurrent sessions, such as the APTA's Combined Sections meeting, do I need to get certificates from each session to prove I attended?
No. The Board does not require specific certificates for each session you attend; you will be given credit for the entire conference if you go. However, you do need to retain proof that you attended the conference, such as receipts for lodging and travel. Those items will be required, along with documentation as specified in §341.1(b), if you are selected for the CE audit. Additionally, don't forget to check the approval status of the conference. Some national sponsors do not seek CE approval from TPTA, and each attendee is responsible for doing so for himself. 11/06
Do I have to take 2 hours of ethics/professional responsibility every time I renew? Can I take an approved course more than once?
YES and YES. The Board’s rule says that you must take an approved course on ethics/professional responsibility every two years. You can take any ethics course more than once, but you must take 2 hours of ethics during each renewal cycle. If you are audited for CE compliance, the Board will look at the date the course was taken, as well as the approval number. The course must be taken during the 2 year renewal period, or it will not satisfy the renewal requirements. See the Board rules, §341.2(d)
