PSHA NEWS

This past September, practitioners holding an active or inactive license, issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language and Hearing, received a letter from Commissioner Basil L. Merenda, informing them of an 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) that requires all licensees to complete 20 clock hours of continuing education between August 1, 2006 and July 31, 2008. What does this change 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.

Susan L. Hegel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Vice President of Professional Preparation and Certification

Charlotte J. Molrine, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Vice President for Governmental Relations

LICENSURE BOARD ADOPTS REGULATIONS FOR MANDATORY
CONTINUING EDUCATION

The final regulations implementing mandatory continuing education for all licensed speech-language pathologists, audiologists and teachers of the hearing impaired will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin shortly.  The new requirements will take effect on August 1, 2006, at the start of the next two-year licensure period.

All licensees will receive information from the State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language and Hearing, but PSHA wants you to know in advance of that official notice.

The primary provisions of the new rules are as follows:

o       Forms for reporting continuing education will be provided by the Board

o       A clock hour is 50 to 60 minutes in an approved course

o       Courses offered under the auspices of ASHA or AAA, or academic programs in speech-language pathology, audiology and teaching of the hearing impaired at an accredited college or university in the state are all preapproved

o       Up to 10 of the required 20 clock hours may be taken for services as a lecturer or speaker, or for publications, provided that the licensee applies to the Board to have those hours approved

o       Individual waivers from the 20 hour minimum may be granted by the Board upon application by the licensee

**Please note that the 20 hour requirement does not apply to those renewing their licenses this year, but will be required for renewal in 2008.

PSHA APPROVED TO OFFER ACT 48 HOURS FOR ASHA WORKSHOPS!

PSHA has continued to work for its members to offer additional ways to meet the PDE Act 48 requirements.

Now PSHA has been approved to convert attendance to workshops that offer ASHA CEUs into Act 48 hours.  All eligible workshops must meet the PDE requirements by relating to the attainment of the K-12 academic standards.  Ways to do so:

** ASHA Convention attendance

** ASHA Approved CEU workshops

To obtain an ASHA CEU/Act 48 Conversion Form, click here.

For more information or questions, contact the PSHA Office at psha@psha.org.

Collaboration oF PAA & PSHA on Senate Bill 119 

Senate Bill 119 is the current legislation proposed to amend the 1984 law entitled “An act regulating the practice of speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and teachers of the hearing impaired”.  Senate Bill 119 will bring the practice of our professions in Pennsylvania into the 21^st century.  It updates educational requirements, the scope of practice, as well as other aspects of practice for speech-language pathology, audiology, and education of individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.  The amended law will allow our professions to perform the clinical duties within the most recent scope of practices of our governing bodies.  However, there has been significant opposition to this document by the medical societies of Pennsylvania as well as by national medical societies. 

On May 25, 2005, Sherman Lord and James Shafer from the Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology (PAA) and Marjorie DeBlander, Glen Tellis, and Thomas Zalewski from the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) met at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg to discuss the differences between the two groups and how best to overcome the opposition to the amendment.  There have been past meetings between the two organizations to address these issues, however, this was the most productive meeting to date.  The representatives agreed that both societies MUST work in harmony if this proposed legislation is to become law.  Further, both groups indicated that they would like to see greater communication and cooperation between the associations now and in future endeavors.  The PAA and PSHA representatives came to an agreement on several issues for Senate Bill 119.  Both organizations believe that the agreed upon language of the proposed legislation allows speech-language pathologists, audiologist, and educators of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing to meet the existing needs and future needs of our patients within the current models of best practice. 

At this time, the representatives believe PAA and PSHA can present a united front to support the amendment.  Without this unity it will be extremely difficult to modernize the practice of speech-language pathology, audiology, and education of individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing in the Commonwealth.  However, both organizations cannot complete this task without the support of many speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and educators of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing.  Support and assist your state organizations in any way possible to allow this amendment to become law.  Our professions have made tremendous strides in the past 21 years.  This amendment MUST become law if we want our professions to continue to evolve.

Do you have PSHA News, email the PSHA Office at PSHA@psha.org.

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