For Speech-Language Pathology
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VI. Instructions for Obtaining and Maintaining Certification
The Certificates of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) and Audiology (CCC-A) are awarded by ASHA's Council For Clinical Certification (CFCC) to applicants who hold a graduate degree and who have successfully completed (a) all academic course work and clinical practicum, (b) a clinical fellowship, and (c) the national examination in the area in which certification is sought, as specified in the Standards and Implementation Procedures for the Certificates of Clinical Competence (SCCC) in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (see Section III of this Handbook). The applicant must submit an application completed as specified, the appropriate dues and fees, and the supporting documents required for processing the application. Maintaining the CCC-SLP is contingent upon the timely payment of annual dues and fees, and beginning in January 1, 2005, completion of 30 contact hours of continuing professional development. Individuals who are in the certification process, hold the CCC, and/or are members of the Association must abide by ASHA's Code of Ethics. All applicants for certification must meet the currently published standards, policies, and procedures.
Steps for Obtaining and Maintaining the Certificates of Clinical Competence
1. Application Materials. Submit to the ASHA Certification office one complete packet including the following:
- a properly completed and signed application
- verification of receipt of graduate degree (Individuals should not submit the application until the graduate degree has been awarded. Those individuals who graduate from a program that has only one graduation per year may apply before receipt of the degree if all graduate course work and graduate level practicum have been completed.)
- course descriptions or transcripts, if required
- appropriate payment, by either check or charge (VISA or MasterCard only). [See the "Schedule of Required Dues and Fees," Form B [PDF].]
No individual documents should be submitted to the ASHA Certification office before submission of the application for certification. Items received before receipt of the application will be returned to the sender. Please note that individuals who wish to be certified in both audiology and speech-language pathology must meet the standards and requirements in both professional areas.
2. Clinical Fellowship (CF) Experience. After verifying that you meet the requirements for state licensure (see "State Licensure/Regulatory Requirements" in Section IV. Clinical Fellowship: Requirements and Procedures), begin the clinical fellowship experience. Both the fellow and the supervisor are responsible for verifying that the supervisor's certification remains valid throughout the entire clinical fellowship period. (For more information about verifying supervisors' certification, see "Clinical Fellows".)
3. Clinical Fellowship Evaluations and Observations. During the CF experience, the clinical fellowship supervisor must complete (a) at least three formal evaluations of the clinical performance using the CFSI-SLP, and (b) at least 18 on-site observations, 6 per segment, and 18 other monitoring activities, 6 per segment (see Section IV. Clinical Fellowship: Requirements and Procedures for specific information.)
4. Clinical Fellowship Report and Rating Form. At the completion of the CF experience, the clinical fellowship supervisor must complete and submit the Clinical Fellowship Report and Rating Form (Form D) to the CFCC within 4 weeks of the date the clinical fellowship is completed. Both the supervisor and fellow must sign the report and rating form.
5. Examination. Obtain a passing score on the national examination. Exam results must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in order to be applicable toward certification. When you register to take the exam, request that your score be reported directly to ASHA. ETS charges an additional fee to report scores after the examination has been taken. To assist the National Office in processing your examination information, it will be helpful if you submit a copy of the report sent to you by the testing service when you submit your application for certification. However, please note that this copy will not be used as official verification of completion of the examination requirement.
6. Certificate. Once certification has been awarded, ordering the certificate is optional. If one is desired, complete and return the certificate order form sent to you with your notification. The certificate will be sent approximately 8 weeks after the certificate order is received in the ASHA National Office.
7. Renew Certification and Membership. Pay annual dues and fees when the annual invoice is received. Maintenance of certification and/or membership is contingent upon the timely payment of annual dues and fees and, beginning January 1, 2005, completion of 30 contact hours of continuing professional development activities. (See ASHA's Certification section for specific information.)
Application Instructions "Pass-Through" Applicants
You will be considered a "pass-through" applicant if you initiated and completed your graduate education at a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). Such applicants are not required to complete the entire application if the program director verifies that all course work and practicum requirements have been met and if the application is submitted no more than 3 years from the date the degree was awarded (see Section III. Standards and Implementation Procedures for the Certificates of Clinical Competence, for specific information). However, if you do not meet these requirements or received your education in a foreign country, you will not be considered a 'pass-through' applicant and will be required to complete the entire application as noted in the section below regarding 'Non-Pass-Through' applicants.
"Pass-through" applicants should adhere to the following procedures: Program Director Signature. Have the director of your graduate program review and sign section 21 of the application (Form A). Your program director must verify that all requirements for graduate course work and practicum have been met. Of vital importance are the date on which the course work requirements were completed and the date on which the practicum requirements were completed. Also complete sections 1 through 6 and 19 through 21 of the application.
Degree Verification. If the graduate degree has been officially conferred, completion of Section 20.C and the signature of the program director will serve as verification that the applicant has a graduate degree. No additional verification of degree is required; transcripts do not have to be submitted if the degree has been conferred at the time the application is signed by the program director.
Degree Conferred in Future. If the graduate degree will be conferred after the application is signed by the program director, verification of actual receipt of the graduate degree is required. Verification can be submitted in any one of the following ways: (a) an official transcript with the degree date imprinted, (b) an unofficial transcript or a photocopy of a transcript with the degree date imprinted, (c) a letter signed by the graduate program director verifying the date on which the graduate degree was awarded, or (d) a letter from the registrar verifying the degree and the date it was awarded. Certification will not be awarded until verification of receipt of the graduate degree has been received by the Certification unit of the National Office.
Examination. Exam results must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in order to be applicable toward certification. When you register to take the exam, request that your score be reported directly to ASHA. ETS charges an additional fee to report scores after the examination has been taken. To assist the National Office in processing your examination information, it will be helpful if you submit a copy of the report sent to you by the testing service when you submit your application for certification. However, please note that this copy will not be used as official verification of completion of the examination requirement.
Application Checklist. Finally, before you submit your application materials to the National Office, review the Application Checklist (Form F) to confirm that you have completed all the requirements for certification. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant.
"Non-Pass-Through" Applicants
You will be considered a 'non-pass-through' applicant if you (a) apply more than 3 years after the date your degree is awarded by an institution in which a CAA-accredited program is housed, (b) were enrolled in a CAA-accredited program that had its accreditation withdrawn before you graduated, (c) completed your graduate course work and practicum in the area in which you seek certification in a program that held candidacy status for accreditation, (d) completed your graduate course work and practicum in the area in which you seek certification in a CAA-accredited program but did not receive your graduate degree from the accredited program or received your graduate degree in a related area or received your graduate degree from an institution outside the United States and are not currently certified by an agency that has a reciprocal certification agreement with ASHA. Such applicants must complete the Membership/Certification Application (Form A) in its entirety and must follow the instructions below. Official graduate and undergraduate transcripts must be submitted before the CFCC will evaluate the application. Official transcripts can be submitted either from the applicant or directly from colleges/universities. (Also see Section III. Standards and Implementation Procedures for the Certificate of Clinical Competence, Standard I, for additional information regarding who must complete the entire application.) Complete sections 1 through 18 of the application. Have the director of your graduate program verify your graduate practicum hours at the end of section 18 and complete sections 19 through 21 of the application.
List all course work in semester hours. If you earned credit on the quarter-hour system, use the conversion chart to convert quarter hours to semester hours. If you received some other type of credit, you must submit information from your university which equates the credit you earned to the semester-hour system. Applicants must have at least 75 semester credit hours combined over all course work. Only 6 semester credit hours of clinical practicum hours will be accepted within this overall total.
Provide the course number and title as listed on your transcripts. If a course title is general or vague, submit a copy of the course description from the college/university catalog to clarify course content.
If you wish to receive credit for a thesis/dissertation, you must submit an abstract. Do not send a copy of the entire thesis; materials are not returned to applicants.
Be sure to check the appropriate columns for graduate credit, practicum credit, courses with culturally diverse populations, and courses in development and behavior across the life span.
In completing the practicum section of the application, cite only those clock hours that were supervised by the indicated supervisor.
Double check your math on the hours listed in the practicum sections.
Have the application reviewed and signed by the authorized signer at the program where the graduate course work and practicum were completed. Sections 19-21 must be completed. Incomplete applications or those that bear invalid signatures will be returned to the applicant.
Exam results must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in order to be applicable toward certification. When you register to take the exam, request that your score be reported directly to ASHA. ETS charges an additional fee to report scores after the examination has been taken. To assist the National Office in processing your examination information, it will be helpful if you submit a copy of the report sent to you by the testing service when you submit your application for certification. However, please note that this copy will not be used as official verification of completion of the examination requirement.
Finally, before you submit your application materials to the National Office, review the Application Checklist (Form F) to confirm that you have completed all the requirements for certification. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant.
CFCC Interpretations on Course Work. Credit for a course is allowed only if an official transcript shows a passing grade for the course. Course credits should not be split unless it is absolutely necessary. If necessary, a course may be credited to no more than two categories, with no less than 1 semester hour credit assigned to each category. For courses with vague titles, such as "Directed Study," "Independent Study," "Speech Pathology I," "Audiology II," etc., the applicant must submit a copy of the catalog description. Copies of abstracts of projects, theses, or dissertations also must be submitted to the CFCC in order to be counted for credit. The CFCC may request further information on course content or projects if needed for the evaluation.
Instructions for Dues and Fees. Refer to section 2 of the application form (Form A) and the current 'Schedule of Required Dues and Fees' (Form B) to determine the amount you must submit with your application. The entire payment must be submitted with the application. Applications received without payment will be returned. All fees must be paid in U.S. currency.
Payment may be made by check, money order, or credit card (VISA or MasterCard). Do not send cash.
Applications and payments received between January 1 and August 31 are processed for the year in which they are received; individuals will receive an invoice in October for dues and fees for the following year. Applications and payments received between September 1 and December 31 are processed for the following year, and applicants will receive complimentary membership from the time of application through the remainder of that year. Date of receipt is determined by the received date stamped in ASHA's Postal Operations center. Certification staff will not hold applications that arrive before August 31, but will process them as they are received. Dues and fees are based on a calendar year. The required renewal dues and fees must be paid annually upon receipt of the invoice in order to maintain membership, certification, or certification-in-process status.
If you are unclear about the fees that you should submit with your application, please contact ASHA's Action Center (1-800-498-2071) for assistance.
Instructions for Applicants Educated in Foreign Countries
Applicants educated in institutions outside the United States and its territories are eligible to apply for certification if they (a) are currently certified by a certification agency having a reciprocal agreement with ASHA based on the terms of that agreement, or (b) hold a graduate degree, or its equivalent as verified from an official evaluation by a foreign credential review agency, from an accredited institution of higher education with course work and practicum in the appropriate professional area. Individuals must submit documentation that course work was completed in an educational program of an institution recognized by the appropriate regulatory authority for the applicant's country, if such exists. Where no authority exists, the CFCC will evaluate the application on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants educated in foreign countries who hold a graduate degree or its equivalent must submit to an individual review of their clinical practicum and course work requirements under the certification standards in effect at the time of application. Clinical clock hours obtained in excess of the required minimum may be substituted for the required 25 hours of supervised observation. Clinical practicum hours obtained in the foreign educational program will count toward certification even if the hours were completed under the supervision of individuals who did not hold the appropriate Certificate of Clinical Competence. However, if the foreign country has standards for certification or licensure in the appropriate professional area, the clinical practicum supervisor must hold the acceptable entry-level credential for that country at the time of the supervision. If such certification or licensure does not exist, the CFCC will evaluate the experience on a case-by-case basis.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996 became federal law as of September 30, 1996. Section 343 of the Act establishes federal pre-screening requirements for alien health care professionals seeking occupational visas. Contact the Certification office if you have questions regarding this requirement and its effect on speech-language pathologists and audiologists obtaining visas. Important information to note: Individuals applying for ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence who are currently certified by a national certification organization that has a reciprocal certification agreement with ASHA should request from the Certification office a copy of the specific requirements for certification, in accord with the reciprocal certification agreement. Please contact your country's credentialing agency if you are unsure whether your organization has a reciprocal certification agreement with ASHA.
Applicants who are not currently certified by a certification agency participating in a reciprocal agreement with ASHA must submit the following information when applying for certification:
- completed certification application (see application instructions for Non-Pass-Through Applicants for details), appropriate dues and/or fees, official transcripts listing all course work completed, detailed course-by-course evaluation from a foreign credential review agency that indicates credit conversion to the semester hour system, identification of graduate level courses, and verification that the degree earned abroad is equivalent to at least a master's degree awarded by programs in the United States. A listing of agencies that can provide such information can be found on the ASHA Web site. The cost for this evaluation is the responsibility of the applicant.
- evidence of a bona fide clinical fellowship experience (in accord with Section IV. Clinical Fellowship: Requirements and Procedures of this Handbook).
- evidence of a passing score on the Praxis Series Examination in speech-language pathology (see Section V of this Handbook for information about the examination).
- thesis and/or dissertation abstracts and summaries of any papers completed for independent projects (These documents must be in English.) Applicants also may be requested to submit course descriptions and/or letters of recommendation from colleagues, employers, and program directors if the CFCC believes such documentation will be of assistance in processing the application.
Applicants who wish to provide clinical services in the United States must also contact the regulatory agency of the state in which they wish to practice to determine the specific requirements for state licensure. A list of the individual state regulatory agencies' addresses and telephone numbers can be found on the ASHA Web site.
Individuals applying for reinstatement must meet the 2005 Certification Reinstatement Policy. The reinstatement policy is as follows:
- If lapsed 5 years or less - Submit a reinstatement application form, reinstatement fee, and evidence of professional development hours based on the number of years lapsed, i.e., 1 year = 10 hours of professional development; 2 years = 20 hours; 3 to 5 years = 30 hours. Professional development activities must have been completed prior to submission of the reinstatement application form and must have been completed no more than 3 years prior to submitting the application for reinstatement.
- If lapsed more than 5 years - Submit the following documentation:
- Reinstatement application form
- Appropriate fees
- Confirmation of completion of a modified Clinical Fellowship experience (12 week FTE in length), supervised by an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist, completed no more than 1 year prior to submission of the application for reinstatement.
- Confirmation of completion of 30 hours of professional development. Professional development hours must have been completed no more than 3 years prior to the submission of the reinstatement application.
- Confirmation via an official notification from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of successful completion of the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology with a score of 600 or above, achieved no more than 5 years prior to submission of the reinstatement application.
Please note that all requirements for reinstatement must have been completed prior to submission of the reinstatement application. Incomplete applications will be returned for re-submission once all requirements have been met.
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