24.204.507    COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR LIMITED PERMIT APPLICANTS

(1) Course providers shall receive board approval for correspondence or online course(s), prior to offering the courses outlined below and shall submit a request for reapproval every two years thereafter. The provider shall submit for the board's review, a course outline, agenda and the identification and qualifications of all instructors. Board approved course content must be compliant with American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) recognized curriculum.

(a) Courses that meet the requirements of this rule shall be board approved.

(b) All instructors shall be ARRT certified or limited permit holders in the state of Montana. Approved course providers, instructors, or designees with five years experience include: radiologic technologists, limited permit holders, radiologic practitioner assistants/radiologist assistants, podiatrists, radiologists, and chiropractors.

(2) The course shall be a minimum of 104 hours in length and shall include:

(a) fundamentals of radiobiology;

(b) imaging equipment;

(c) fundamentals of radiation protection;

(d) fundamentals of x-ray physics;

(e) radiographic technique and principles of radiographic exposure;

(f) darkroom procedures;

(g) interrelationship of the radiographic chain (i.e. technique vs. darkroom procedures);

(h) adverse contrast reaction;

(i) medical, legal and ethical - four hours;

(j) radiation safety - eight hours; and

(k) image production and evaluation - film critique - four hours.

(3) Additional courses and clinical competencies to include anatomy, physiology, positioning, pathology, x-ray technique, and proper handling of trauma patients, shall be required for the applicant to qualify for examination in each of the specified limited x-ray procedures. Course length and clinical competencies specified for each limited x-ray procedure are:

(a) chest - minimum four hours, and passing competencies - ten actual;

(b) extremities - minimum eight hours, and passing upper extremities competencies - five actual and passing lower extremities competencies - five actual;

(c) spine - minimum eight hours, and passing competencies - ten actual;

(d) skull - minimum eight hours, and passing competencies - ten, all of which may be simulated;

(e) abdomen - minimum four hours, and passing competencies - ten actual;

(f) GI tract and associated overhead films - eight hours, and passing competencies - ten, all of which may be simulated; and

(g) positioning - minimum eight hours, and passing competencies - ten actual.

(4) Demonstration of competence includes: requisition evaluation, patient assessment, room preparation, patient management, equipment operation, technique selection, position skills, radiation safety, image processing, and image evaluation.

(5) Demonstration of clinical competence means that the approved course providers, instructors, or designee have observed the limited permit applicant performing the procedure, and that the applicant performed the procedure independently, consistently, and effectively. Applicants must demonstrate competence as outlined in (3) in the categories the applicant is requesting to be authorized to take x-ray procedures in.

(6) A board approved checklist for demonstration of competencies will be included with the downloadable application.

(7) At no time may the applicant initiate ionizing exposure during performance of the clinical competencies.

(8) To be exempt under 37-14-301, MCA, from obtaining a permit, any person performing only darkroom procedures must complete an eight-hour course in darkroom procedures.

History: 37-1-131, 37-14-202, MCA; IMP, 37-14-301, 37-14-306, MCA; NEW, 1985 MAR p. 1152, Eff. 8/16/85; AMD, 1990 MAR p. 1321, Eff. 7/13/90; AMD, 1996 MAR p. 1138, Eff. 4/26/96; AMD, 2003 MAR p. 1882, Eff. 8/29/03; TRANS, from Commerce, 2004 MAR p. 3033; AMD, 2010 MAR p. 77, Eff. 1/15/10; AMD, 2015 MAR p. 2274, Eff. 12/25/15.