Licensure and Regulations

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1. How many CE credits do I need?
2. How many CE credits do limited radiographers need?
3. When does my ARRT® CE biennium begin and end?
4. Can I repeat a course I’ve already completed?
5. If I take more credit than I am required to complete, can I transfer the extra CE credits to my next reporting period?
6. I received an audit letter. What happens next?
7. I didn’t fulfill my CE requirements by the end of my reporting period. What happens to my license?
8. I want to get my post-primary certificate in mammography. What are the requirements?
9. Does the CE course that I choose have to be specific to my current x-ray work?
10. How is the amount of CE credit and number of questions on the test determined for a course?
11. Does the ARRT® or my state radiation control agency limit the number of CE credits earned through homestudy courses?
12. What is the Continuing Qualification Requirement (CQR) requirement?
13. Trademark Information

1.    How many continuing education (CE) credits do I need?
All technologists who have a certification and registration issued by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists® (ARRT)® and wish to be in active status must earn 24 credits every two years. The two year period is called a “biennium” and your biennium is determined according to your birth month. State licensure & other agencies may be regulated differently. Most of them require 24 credits within a two year period. If you are unsure please contact your licensing agency for their specific regulations regarding continuing education.

2.    How many CE credits do limited radiographers need?
Certification or licensure for limited radiographers is issued through individual state radiation control agencies. The amount of CE credits that limited radiographers need to renew their certification/licensures depends on specific state radiation control regulations. Some states require that limited radiographers obtain 12 CE credits while other states require 24 CE credits. We suggest that you contact your state radiation control agency for additional information. Contact information for national and state licensing agencies can be found here.

3.    When does my CE biennium for the ARRT® certification and registration begin and end?
Your biennium is linked to your birth month and the year of your initial ARRT® examination. The biennium begins on the first day of your birth month and ends two years later on the last day of the month before your birth month. Technologists who have successfully completed their first ARRT® certification and registration exam begin the mandatory CE requirements on the first day of their next birth month after the exam.

For example, a new technologist born in July who passes an initial certification and registration exam in May begins their first CE biennium on the following July 1st and must report CE compliance with their ARRT® certification and registration renewal two years later.

To verify your biennium dates online, visit the ARRT® website at www.arrt.org and log in to your account.

4.    Can I repeat a course I’ve already completed?
The ARRT ® & the American Society of Radiologic Technologists® (ASRT)® do not allow technologists to repeat a CE credit course or activity in the same biennium.  As of January 1, 2016 ARRT® changed their guidelines and now are allowing technologists to repeat a CE activity in a subsequent biennium.

All other licensures (state, ISCD®, etc.) are regulated differently. Contact your licensing board to inquire as to whether or not they will let you repeat a course in a subsequent biennium.

The X-Ray Lady® maintains a customer database that includes all the courses that you have completed with our company. Our staff verifies every order that comes in to our office against our database before processing it. If they find that it is a repeat order within the past two years (typical biennium period) they will contact you before processing your order. Please note:  We do not have access to your specific biennium dates.  We will only contact you if you have previously taken a course within the past two years.  It is the technologists responsibility to keep records of all previous completed continuing education courses from all providers previously used and to not repeat a CE activity within the same biennium.  To read more regarding this ARRT® rule please click here and refer to section 7.

5.    If I take more CE credit than I am required to complete, can I transfer the extra CE credits to my next reporting period?
No. The ARRT® and most state radiation control agencies do not allow the transfer of CE credit when you have earned more CE credits during your biennium period.

6.    I received an audit letter. What happens next?

An audit is simply a way of asking for your proof of CE completion. Copies of your certificates should be obtained and sent to the ARRT® with your completed audit form. Once received, if there are any discrepancies, the ARRT® will contact the CE provider to verify credits earned. The ARRT® reserves the right to make adjustments to CE status after the review is completed. If you do not respond to an audit request, the ARRT® will discontinue your registration and your license will have to be reinstated. Contact the ARRT® for information regarding your specific license.

7.    I didn’t fulfill my CE requirements by the end of my reporting period. What happens to my license?

If you do not meet the requirements by the end of the biennium, your ARRT® certification and registration will be transferred to a “CE Probation” status. You will have six months to complete your CE requirements with no additional penalty credits. When the credits are completed, you will have to submit a probation report form and a fee. For further information, contact the ARRT® regarding your specific license status. All states and other licensing agencies may be different. See our contact list here.

8.    I want to get my post-primary certificate in mammography. What are the requirements?

You must be an ARRT® R.T.® certificant and registrant and never worked in mammography before. You have to complete 40 contact hours of documented training specific to mammography under the supervision of a qualified instructor in the following areas: breast anatomy & physiology, positioning & compression, quality assurance & quality control techniques, and imaging patients with breast implants. At least 8 of the 40 hours have to be in the modality to be used by the technologist. The 40 hours of training can be in homestudy. You must also complete 25 exams under direct supervision of a qualified person.

We do offer courses that cover the required 40 hours in all required content areas. For more information and course suggestions, please click here.

9.    Does the CE course that I choose have to be specific to my current x-ray work?
The ARRT® suggests that all R.T.® certificants and registrants should select CE courses or activities that are related to their scope of practice; however, R.T.® certificants and registrants who are R.T.(R)(ARRT)®  certified and registered are not restricted from taking courses in mammography, computed tomography, etc. Limited radiographers are encouraged to take CE courses that are within their scope of practice as designated by their state radiation certification regulations. A few states require both technologists and limited radiographers to complete a specific amount of CE credit in radiation protection and various other subjects.

10. How is the amount of CE credit determined for a course?
ASRT® and other recognized continuing education evaluation mechanisms (RCEEMs) award CE credits based on a contact hour (or reading time) of 50 to 60 minutes. One contact hour is equal to 1 CE credit. Self-learning/homestudy courses are determined by how long it takes to read the book, excluding the test. The test is required to have a certain number of questions based on the credit amount: 8 questions per credit. The homestudy course must be planned, organized, and administered to enhance the professional knowledge and skills that a R.T.® or R.R.A.® certificant and registrant uses to provide service to patients, the public, or the medical profession.

11. Does the ARRT® or state radiation control agency limit the number of CE credits earned through directed readings and homestudy courses?
The ARRT® does not limit the number of CE credits earned through directed readings and homestudy courses; however, certain state radiation control agency regulations may. For particular state radiation control regulations, contact your state agency.

12. What is the Continuing Qualification Requirements (CQR) process?

Those who get their primary or post primary certification with ARRT® on or after January 1st, 2011 will be required to complete the CQR process. The process begins in year 7 of your certification and you have 3 years to complete it. This is in addition to the 24CE biennium.

You will be asked to complete a professional profile and a structured self-assessment given by the ARRT®. Upon completion you may be required to get CE in specific areas in which you did not meet standards based on your self-assessment. These credits may also be used toward your CE biennium. After completion of the CQR process, you’ll be eligible to continue certification and registration for another 10 year period. For more information, contact the ARRT®.

If you already have your prescribed CE and would like to help picking the right courses, contact us. Click Here to view our CQR course coding packet.

13. Trademark Info.

American Registry of Radiologic Technologists ®, ARRT ®, R.R.A. ®, R.T. ® (ARRT) ®, and R.T. ® are registered trademarks owned by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists ®.  X-Ray Lady ® CE is not licensed by, endorsed by, or affiliated with The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists ®.  All other trademarks herein are property of their respective owners and do not imply acceptance, endorsement, or affiliation with X-Ray Lady®.