Sponsors of continuing education activities for medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals can submit those activities for Category A or A+ credit.
SMRT’s new electronic process makes it easy and convenient for sponsors to submit an activity for review and approval.
General Requirements
A Continuing Education activity must fulfill the following requirements in order to be eligible to receive credit approval:
- The education activity must meet the ARRT definition of a Continuing Education activity.
- The application form must be completed and submitted 30-45 days prior to the scheduled activity. Rushed review of an application requires an additional charge. Applications submitted with the intended date less than 7 days from the submission will automatically be declined.
- Document the proof of attendance/participation for each participant, including completion or partial completion of an activity. Sign-in records are the most common method.
- Have seminar participants complete evaluations of the activity.
- Provide certificates to the participants to document completion of specified activity, date and credits. (Click here for a sample certificate.)
- Sponsor of educational activity must maintain records (Certificate of Attendance/Completion, sign-in roster, evaluations) of the activity for a minimum of three years after the date of the activity.
Note: Retroactive credit is not allowed. All CE programs must be approved thirty days prior to the scheduled activity or the release of a self-learning activity.
Each submission must have the following:
- Acceptance of liability (broken into three parts)
- General information of activity (title, location, etc.)
- Statement of activity objective
- An outline or overview
- Speaker credentials or a curriculum vitae
- All activities longer than two hours must also submit a detailed schedule of events, including time for speaker transitions, breaks, lunch, etc.
Note: Retroactive credit is not allowed. All CE programs must be approved thirty days prior to the scheduled activity or the release of a self-learning activity.
Activity Renewal
Continuing education activities are eligible for renewal. The Sponsor will be responsible for the CE renewal application, which must be submitted to the ISMRT 30 days prior to the expiration of the activity. It is the responsibility of the Program Director to evaluate the activity to assure it meets current requirements for CE.
The ISMRT reserves the right to ask for additional information or details to support the renewal request. Renewals with changes must be well documented and be able to support the originally approved content, objectives, and quality. When changes are submitted, a copy of the original submission must be included with the renewal application with changes clearly delineated. If the renewal with changes varies more than 50% from the original, the Sponsor must resubmit the activity as a new activity including all fees for processing the activity to be re-evaluated (This is subject to changes made by the Sponsor, not changes requested by the ISMRT).
Activity Description & Fees
Activity Type |
Description |
Application Processing Fee |
Live Seminar |
A program that may include several types of activities and cover multiple topics. Time frames vary between partial days, whole days, or multiple days. |
$50 per day +$5 per credit over two hours |
Self-Learning Product |
An activity where the presenter is not “live.” This may be in the form of selected readings, a videotaped presentation, a computer-based learning module, etc., with a post-test. |
All prices are for one-year approval: 0.5 - 3.0 hours: $145 3.5 - 9.0 hours: $280 9.5+ hours: $375 |
Priority Handling Fee |
If you submit your application under 30 days of the requested date of the event, you will be charged. |
$150 |
If you would like to reuse content from one type of Activity into a different format, you must submit a new Request for CE approval. For questions, please contact the ISMRT.
Additional Information
ARRT requirements for credit
- General Credit Information
- Post-Test Self-Learning Requirements
- Proof of Attendance
- Evaluation
General Credit Information
The credit approval process is based on the guidelines put forth by the ARRT. Each educational activity is measured in units based on a formula:
It is strongly suggested that if the activity is longer than one hour, then each lecture should be accredited with a single reference number.
Post-Test Self-Learning Requirements
The participant must pass with a 75% or higher score. A post-test can be taken only up to 3 times to achieve a passing score. Should the participant fail the post-test three times, they must pass a different post-test based on the same material. The post-test questions must adequately assess the entire content of the activity. The minimum number of questions required on a post-test are:
|
Activity Length |
Minimum # of Post-Test Questions |
| 15 to 29 minutes (0.25 Credit) | 2 Questions |
| 30 to 44 minutes (0.50 Credit) | 4 Questions |
| 45 to 49 minutes (0.75 Credit) | 6 Questions |
| 50 to 62 minutes (1.00 Credit) | 8 Questions |
| 63 to 74 minutes (1.25 Credits) | 10 Questions |
| 75 minutes + | Please contact the ISMRT |
Proof of Attendance/Completion
Each person who attends and completes the CE activity must be supplied with a certificate of completion or attendance. If it is in the form of a letter, it should be printed on the official letterhead of the provider or sponsor. The letter or certificate must contain the following information:
- Provider/Sponsor name
- Participant’s name and unique identifier (ARRT ID, last four digits of SSN)
- Title of approved CE activity (must match title submitted on RFA)
- Date(s) of attendance
- Activity expiration date
- Total number of CE credits awarded specified as Category A
- Individual reference numbers(s) and CE credits from the ISMRT CE approval letter; ISMRT must be referenced as the approving RCEEM
- Program approval date(s)
- Signature of program director or authorized representative (Person signing this documentation is verifying the information is accurate.)
- For self-learning activity, this statement must be present: “This CE Activity may be available in multiple formats or from different CE sponsors. ARRT does not allow self-learning CE activities to be repeated for CE credit in the same CE biennium.”
- If the CE activity is awarded credit through multiple evaluation programs for use by different credentialing organizations, the following statement must be included:
Some organizations may not allow CE credit to be awarded for completing the CE activity a second time even if the CE activity is presented in different formats such as: lecture, home study, or webinar. You should check with the organization requiring the CE credit for information specific to your professional credential requirements.
A single reference number must meet the entire time of the event. If an individual does not complete the entire activity, they cannot receive a certificate. For example, a whole day of credit with one reference number will require the individual has attended the whole day. It is the program director’s responsibility to let ISMRT know if they require more than one reference number per day. If the program director becomes aware that the participant falsely claims credit, the program director should notify the ISMRT.
Evaluation
The evaluation process helps the provider receive information as a part of continuous quality improvement. Evaluation gives the participant a mechanism to provide feedback to the provider about the quality and content of the continuing educational activity. The evaluations may also ask for suggestions for future educational topics and activities. The evaluation data should be consolidated and shared with the speakers and planners of the CE activity.
The program director is responsible for maintaining the evaluation records as a part of the documentation of the program; however, only a summary of the evaluations is needed for submission to the ISMRT. The program director is not to submit the actual evaluations to the ISMRT office, but the ISMRT reserves the right to request a detailed summary of the evaluations should any questions arise about the activity approved for credit.
ISMRT Policies
- Copyright Laws
- Liability Release Form
- Declaration of Financial Interests Form
- Appeal Process
- Refund Policy
- Advertising Guidelines/Proper Wording
Copyright Laws
The Provider/Sponsor of a continuing educational activity is responsible for ensuring that copyright laws are being adhered to. By applying for CE credit, the Program Director is guaranteeing that the material being used is either original, or the appropriate copyright permissions have been obtained. The ISMRT does not evaluate whether the educational material is original or not and is not responsible for any copyright infringements made by the provider/sponsor of the continuing educational activity.
Liability Release Form
The Liability Release form must accompany all self-learning products/home studies, including audiotapes, videotapes, online activities, podcasts, and written text submitted for evaluation. This release form must accompany a self-learning product for the ISMRT to evaluate the product for CE credit. This form may also be required for live lecture activities that appear to contain content that is proprietary in nature. Make a copy of the signed release form for your sponsorship records.
Declaration of Financial Interest or Relationships Form
The Declaration of Financial Interest or Relationships form must be completed for self-learning products, live seminars, courses, or webcasts. This ensures a CE course that will have balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in Continuing Education programs. The Declaration Form ensures that the CE activities promote improvements or quality in healthcare and are independent of the control of commercial or relationship interests.
Appeal Process
If a CE activity is not approved for credit or is approved for less than the Provider/Sponsor requested, the Program Director will be sent written notification. The notification will include the detailed reasons why the activity was denied or what factors entailed the amount of credits approved.
The Program Director is given 30 days to appeal the decision and fix deficiencies in order to be re-evaluated. A detailed letter from the Program Director should address each area stated by the ISMRT CE Committee’s evaluation for the CE activity and include a full application to be reviewed. If the Program Director does not respond within 30 days, the CE Committee’s decision becomes final.
The CE Committee Chair will appoint three (3) members to re-evaluate the CE activity and review the letter of appeal and supporting documentation. The CE Committee Chair will notify the Program Chair of the final appeal results within sixty (60) days.
Activities Pending Approval
If an activity receives pending approval, due to additional material or information needed, the sponsor must respond within thirty (30) days or the ISMRT reserves the right to deny credit to the activity. Rejected applications must be resubmitted as new activities.
Refund Policy
Refunds are not given for any RFA that has been reviewed in part or in whole. Refunds are not given for denied or rejected activities.
Advertising Guidelines/Promotional Materials
“Category A Continuing Education” is the phrase most technologists associate with when looking for education credits.
A Sponsor may advertise a continuing educational activity as being “approved for Category A Continuing Education Credit” only after approval of the activity has been granted. If an application for CE approval has been submitted, the Sponsor may use “Category A Continuing Education Credit is pending approval by the ISMRT” in promotional materials prior to the actual approval.
The ISMRT CE Committee must be sent a copy of the advertisement to ensure that all material being advertised meets the published guidelines for continuing education programs. Do not use any trademarked terms or other registered/restricted terms in your advertisements or promotional materials. ISMRT CE reference numbers are to be listed only on the participant’s certificate of completion or attendance. The ISMRT reference number should not be listed in any promotional material, syllabus, evaluations, or any other documents.