KRS 314A.110: Requirements for mandatory certification -- Limited mandatory

certificate.

(1) To be eligible for mandatory certification as a respiratory care practitioner the

applicant shall have held a registered respiratory therapist (RRT) or certified

respiratory therapist (CRT) credential issued by the National Board for Respiratory

Care or its equivalent.

(2) A temporary mandatory certificate may be issued to the graduate respiratory care

practitioner for a period not to exceed six (6) months from graduation. The holder

of a temporary mandatory certificate who does not successfully pass t he National

Board for Respiratory Care or its equivalent entry -level certification examination

within a six (6) month period shall cease and desist performing any services as a

respiratory care practitioner. Failure to comply in this instance shall subject the

individual to prosecution for practicing as a respiratory care practitioner without a

mandatory certificate.

(3) In order for student respiratory care practitioners to be employed for compensation

to provide respiratory care services, they must apply to the board for a limited

mandatory certificate which will permit them to perform respiratory care procedures

(for which they have received training) under the direct supervision of a respiratory

therapist who holds a mandatory certificate. This limited m andatory certificate

excludes the performance of continuous mechanical or physiological ventilatory

support, arterial puncture, and blood gas analysis. The limited mandatory certificate

may be granted only to individuals actively enrolled in an accredited program and

for a period not to exceed three (3) years. This limited mandatory certificate is in no

manner required for individuals actively enrolled in an accredited program while

performing uncompensated clinical activities required by the program.

(4) Respiratory care practitioners duly authorized to practice in other states and in good

standing and who have held a RRT or hold the CRT credential or its equivalent may

be conferred a mandatory certificate by the board if the requirements for licensure

or c ertification in that state are substantially equal to the requirements of this

section.

(5) Respiratory therapists applying for mandatory certification, who received their

National Board for Respiratory Care certified respiratory therapist (CRT) or

registered respiratory therapist (RRT) credential prior to July 1, 2002, shall retain

their National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) designations as certified

respiratory therapists (CRT) or registered respiratory therapists (RRT). Those

respiratory therapists applying for mandatory certification, who receive their CRT

or RRT credential from the NBRC after July 1, 2002, shall retain their CRT or RRT

credential as long as they have fulfilled the National Board for Respiratory Care's

continuing competency program requirements. Persons holding a mandatory

certification through the limited mechanism of grandfather status and those

respiratory therapists, receiving their CRT or RRT credential after July 1, 2002,

who do not fulfill the National Board for Respiratory Ca re's continuing competency

requirements, shall solely be designated as respiratory care practitioners.

(6) Mandatory certification of respiratory care practitioners shall be on a biennial basis

according to established criteria under KRS 314A.115. Mandator y certificates

issued by the board shall expire and shall not be renewed unless the certificate

holder submits proof to the board of compliance with KRS 314A.115. On and after

the date on which a person's mandatory certificate has expired, the practitioner may

apply for reinstatement within five (5) years of the expiration of the mandatory

certificate. The applicant shall show compliance with the current continuing

education requirement in force at the time of mandatory certificate renewal

application. Afte r expiration of a five (5) year period, current standards for

mandatory certification shall be met. The board may require individualized

conditions for reinstatement.