West Virginia State Characteristics of Licensure Law

The information below is collected from state licensure boards or regulatory agencies responsible for regulating the professions of SLP and/or AUD. It is intended for informational use only, and should not be construed as legal advice.

Contact the state's licensure board or regulatory agency for exact licensure, certification, or registration requirements in your jurisdiction.

Initial Licensure Requirements

1. Master's degree or equivalent
2. Three hundred fifty hour clinical practicum
3. Nine months of postgraduate professional experience
4. Passage of the national exam in speech-language pathology or audiology approved by ASHA

Exemptions

1. Physicians and their employees/supervisees
2. Credentialed employees of public or state schools
3. Teachers of persons who are deaf
4. Students appropriately designated as intern or trainee
5. Hearing aid dealers/fitters
6. CAOHC technicians

Reciprocity

1. The Board shall waive the examination requirement for
• An applicant currently licensed in another state with equivalent standards
• CCC holders
2. A person with licensure in another state with equivalent standards and CCC holders may practice speech-language pathology or audiology in the state pending Board disposition of their applications.

Interim Practice/Temporary Licensure

Clinical fellows must obtain a provisional license.

Continuing Education for Licensure Renewal

Twenty contact hours per biennium

Hearing Aid Dispensing

Audiologists may dispense hearing aids under an audiology license.

Support Personnel

1. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists supervising speech-language pathology and audiology assistants must register with the Board the names of each assistant.
2. Speech-language pathology and audiology assistants must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology or audiology from an institution recognized by the Board.
3. Supervisors (licensed speech-language pathologists or audiologists) may supervise no more than two full-time assistants.
4. Supervisors must provide direct supervision of the first 3 hours of treatment by the speech-language pathology assistant for each patient followed by a minimum of one direct observation for each subsequent 2-week period.
5. Supervisors must provide direct supervision of the first 10 hours of direct client contact for the audiology assistant, with direct supervision of a minimum of 10% of all subsequent client contact.
6. Speech-language pathology and audiology assistants must complete 5 hours of Board approved continuing education per year for the renewal of assistant registration.

Note

• The abbreviation SLP or SP stands for Speech Language Pathology or Pathologist, as appropriate, the abbreviation AUD stands for Audiology or Audiologist, as appropriate, and the abbreviation HAD stands for Hearing Aid Dealer.
• All jurisdictions require applicants to achieve a passing score on a national exam, and all but Nevada, North Dakota, and Virginia require applicants to complete a post graduate professional experience requirement.
• The term "clinical fellow," used throughout, means a person completing the post graduate professional experience requirement.