Massachusetts Licensing Requirements for Hearing Aid Dispensers
The profession of hearing aid dispenser is regulated at the state level and each state maintains its own standards for licensure or registration.
Initial Licensure Requirements
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have a high school diploma or its equivalent
- Be of good moral character
- Have successfully completed a Board of Registration of Hearing Instrument Specialists (Board) approved 12 month apprenticeship, including completion of the apprentice training program and supervised work experience
- Hold current certification as a hearing instrument specialist from a Board-approved, nationally-recognized body certifying hearing instrument specialists; or pass a written or electronic examination approved by the Board and designed to test competencies and knowledge needed in hearing aid fitting and dispensing
Reciprocity
An individual who holds a license as a hearing instrument specialist or the equivalent as determined by the Board from a state which is deemed by the Board to have substantially equivalent or higher licensure requirements than those of the Commonwealth may be licensed as a hearing instrument specialist without satisfying these requirements.
Temporary Licensure
The Board shall register as an apprentice and issue a certificate of registration to an applicant who has shown to the satisfaction of the Board that the applicant:
- is at least 18 years of age;
- has a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- is registered in a Board-approved training program;
- has an identified supervisor who is a person registered in good standing in the Commonwealth as a hearing instrument specialist or licensed as an audiologist and who has agreed to perform supervisory functions; and
- has paid the Board a fee which shall be set by the secretary of administration and finance. The certificate of registration for an apprentice shall include the name of the hearing instrument specialist who is supervising the apprentice and such supervisor shall execute an acknowledgment of responsibility for all acts of the apprentice in connection with hearing aid dispensing.
Upon completion of the training program (12 months), the apprentice shall take the Board-approved examination. Following three failed examinations, an apprentice shall only be reexamined at the discretion of the Board.
An apprentice registration shall expire 18 months from the date of its issuance except that, on recommendation of the board, the registration may be reissued for 18 months only.
Continuing Education
Licensed hearings instrument specialists are required as a condition of license renewal to complete a minimum of 20 contact hours of continuing education activities per continuing education period.
Audiologist Dispensing
Audiologists may dispense under an audiology license.
Board Composition
The Board of Registration of Hearing Instrument Specialists consists of five members appointed by the director and one nonvoting advisory member who shall be a dispensing audiologist in private practice who has engaged in hearing aid dispensing for at least three years. Members of the Board shall be citizens of the United States and residents of the Commonwealth. One member shall be a hearing aid user who has no affiliation in any way with hearing aid dispensing, three members shall be hearing instrument specialists registered in the Commonwealth with a minimum of five years' experience in dispensing hearing aids and one member shall be a representative of the public who shall have neither hearing aid industry nor consumer affiliations.
Trial Period
30 days from date of delivery
Mail Order/Internet Sales
No hearing instrument shall be delivered to a consumer in Massachusetts through the mail unless the consumer has had a hearing evaluation performed and an ear impression taken by a Massachusetts registrant and the consumer has signed a federally approved medical clearance waiver.
Resources
The information contained herein was collected and summarized annually. For detailed information on hearing aid dispenser requirements, contact the state board and visit this website:
Board of Registration of Hearing Instrument Specialists Statutes & Regulations
Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.