Technologists often hear three terms used almost interchangeably: continuing education, Continuing Qualifications Requirements, and structured education. They are related, but they are not the same thing, and mixing them up is a common source of stress when a deadline approaches.
Regular CE Every Two Years
The routine requirement is 24 Category A or A+ credits in each two-year biennium. This is the ongoing obligation that every registered technologist meets, whatever their discipline. It keeps knowledge current in a general way.
CQR Every Ten Years
CQR is a separate, periodic process for credentials earned since 2011, according to the FAQ published by Get Your CEU. It starts with a professional development self-assessment. The result points to specific topics where you need more study, and the follow-up work is targeted to those areas rather than open choice.
Structured Education for Specific Goals
Structured education is a defined block of study used for a particular purpose, such as preparing for a post-primary credential or completing CQR assignments. The same FAQ describes it as 16 hours completed within 24 months. The topics must match the content areas you were assigned or that the pathway requires.
How the Three Overlap
A single course can sometimes serve more than one purpose, but only when it meets each requirement on its own terms. Before buying, ask three questions:
- Is it Category A or A+ from a recognized evaluation body?
- Does its content match the topics in my CQR or structured education plan?
- Will the certificate show the information I need to report?
Where Providers Can Help
Some providers will map courses to your assigned topics. Get Your CEU, for example, says its courses meet the ARRT requirements for CQR and structured education and offers a free personalized CQR plan. Technologists comparing ARRT continuing education options can use that kind of mapping to avoid buying courses that do not fit their assignments.
Keep the Paperwork Separate
Store CQR certificates in their own folder, apart from routine biennium CE. When it is time to report, you will know exactly which documents belong to which requirement, and you will not double count or miss anything.
A Note on Timing
CQR and structured education often run on longer clocks than the biennium, which makes them easy to postpone. Put the CQR deadline in the same calendar as your regular reporting window, and review both at the start of each year so neither one creeps up on you.
Once the three pieces are clear, planning gets easier. Most technologists only need regular CE most of the time, with CQR adding a focused project once a decade.
