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 PENNSYLVANIA SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARING ASSOCIATION |
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LEGISLATION
License Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements
Practitioners holding an active or inactive license, issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language and Hearing, in accordance with the amendment to section 5 (7) of the Speech-Language and Hearing Licensure Act (63 P.S. § 1705 (7) and its accompanying regulations (49 PA. Code 45.501-45.507) must complete 20 clock hours of continuing education between August 1, 2008 and July 31, 2010. What does this mean for you and how do you accrue and document your continuing education activities?
Beginning August 1, 2008, renewal of a license by a speech-language pathologist, audiologist or teacher of the hearing impaired will not be granted unless the licensee certifies that he or she has completed the required 20 clock hours of continuing education. These hours can be obtained by attending any approved continuing education program. Programs pre-approved for continuing education credit are sponsored by ASHA and AAA, as are courses offered by academic programs in speech-language pathology, audiology or teaching of the hearing impaired associated with institutions accredited by any state’s department of education (Act 48 hours) or a regional commission on institutions of higher education.
Is it an hour, a unit, or a credit? A clock hour consists of 50 to 60 minutes of instruction or participation in an approved continuing education (CE) course or program. Clock hours differ from continuing education units (CEUs). One clock hour is equivalent to one tenth (.1) of a CEU. Therefore, to meet the continuing education requirement per biennium, a renewing licensee must have accrued 2.0 CEUs of instruction or participation in an approved CE course or program.
Can I “Double Dip” and Use Act 48 Hours for Licensure Renewal? In most cases, yes, you can “double dip.” For individuals who are both licensed by the State Board of Examiners and certified by the Department of Education, the Board will accept all approved credits that conform to its proposed regulation even if a licensee used the same education experience to fulfill his or her requirements from the Department of Education. In other words, continuing education activities approved by the Department of Education, which are also approved by the Board, can be used to fulfill the requirements under both professional educator certification and license renewal. Be aware that some continuing education activities approved by the Department of Education for maintaining certification as a professional educator may not be approved by the licensure Board as beneficial or adequate for maintaining state licensure.
How Do I Document My Hours for the Licensure Board? In order to certify that one has completed the required 20 clock hours of continuing education, the licensee must sign a statement on the license renewal application provided by the Board, certifying that the continuing education requirement has been met during the preceding biennial period. Because the Board will utilize random audits of renewal applications to determine compliance with this CE requirement, each licensee should maintain a continuing education record of courses and/or activities completed for a minimum of four years. If verification is requested, the audited licensee must be able to provide a continuing education record that documents the dates attended, continuing education hours claimed, title of course, description of content, and location of course. PSHA has created a tracking form you might wish to use for documenting your continuing education activities.
How Do I Get A Continuing Education Course or Program Pre-Approved by the Licensure Board? Credit for continuing education may be obtained for any program approved in advance by the Board. To apply for approval of a continuing education course or program, an application must be completed and submitted to the Board at least 90 days in advance of the date the course or program is scheduled. Board evaluation takes 45 to 90 days depending upon the volume of application requests and there is a nonrefundable cost of $40.00 for submitting an application. The Board will not approve continuing education programs in office management or practice building. Preapproval for a continuing education course or program is contingent upon compliance with the standards of provider responsibilities. For each proposed continuing education course or program, the provider must: 1) disclose to prospective participants the objectives, content, teaching method, and number of hours of continuing education credit; 2) provide adequate facilities and appropriate instructional materials for the number of anticipated participants; and 3) utilize a verifiable method of certifying participation and issue a certified continuing education record to each participant.
Additional information can be found on the application form found at http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/lib/bpoa/20/spch_board/speech_application_for_ce.pdf
Finally, any licensed speech-language pathologists, audiologist, or teacher of the hearing impaired who fails to complete the required CE requirement within any biennial renewal period or who submits fraudulent continuing education records, may be subject to disciplinary action.
Act 48, The Law States, educators must maintain their education certificates as active by earning 6 collegiate or 6 PDE approved in-service credits or 180 continuing education hours or any combination of the above every 5 years. The five-year period began July 1, 2000. For those individuals who were issued their certificates in August 2000 and thereafter, the five-year period begins with the effective date of issuance of the initial certificate.
Act 71, After many years of attempting to amend the Speech-Language and Hearing Licensure Act to include a requirement for continuing education, PSHA was finally successful! On October 18, 2000, Governor Ridge signed HB 398 into law as “Act No. 71 of 2000”. Thanks to the sponsor of the bill, Representative Wilt, the co-sponsors, our lobbyist David Tive, and all our PSHA members and allies who took the time to write or call their elected officials in Harrisburg about this issue! A copy of the law may be obtained on the PA General Assembly’s website www.legis.state.pa.us through the “electronic bill room” (look up HB 398 or the 99-00 session).
In
addition, the State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language and
Hearing can be contacted at
Current members are:
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