Louisiana State Characteristics of Licensure Law

Last updated April 2008

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

Initial Licensure Requirements

1. Good moral character
2. Master's degree or equivalent from an accredited institution (75 semester hours)
3. Four hundred hours of supervised clinical practicum for speech language pathology; 1,820 clinical practicum hours for audiology
4. Evidence of 9 months of supervised postgraduate professional employment or its part-time equivalent
5. Passage of an examination (600 passing score)
6. A doctorate in audiology plus the 75 credit hours plus the clinical practicum requirements, fulfills the requirement for a supervised postgraduate professional employment experience.

Exemptions

1. Federal employees
2. Students properly identified as speech-language pathology or audiology trainees
3. Physician or surgeons and their employees under direct supervision
4. Hearing aid dealers
5. Nurses performing routine hearing screening
6. Speech language pathologists or audiologists aides

Reciprocity/Endorsement

1. The Board may license a speech-language pathologist or audiologist without examination or an SLP assistant on payment of a prescribed fee, an individual licensed by another state if:

• The requirements for licensure were at the date of licensure substantially equal to those requirements in force in this state at that time
• The state from whence the applicant comes accords similar privilege of licensure without examination to license holders in this state
• The state from whence the applicant comes requires successful completion of an examination as a condition of such licensure

1. The Board may grant reciprocity to an individual pending the outcome of his/her application for licensure.
2. The Board shall waive the examination and documentation of clinical practicum to applicants with ASHA CCCs.
3. The Board shall waive the examination requirement for any applicant currently certified by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as a specialist of speech-language pathology and currently employed in a school setting.

Interim Practice/Temporary Licensure

The Board may issue a provisional license to an individual who:

1. Has completed all requirements for licensure except for the supervised postgraduate professional requirement; an individual may not hold such license for more than 3 years
2. Has completed all requirements for licensure except for the supervised postgraduate professional requirement and the examination; an individual shall fulfill the exam requirement within 1 year from the date of original issuance
3. Temporary registration for licensees from other US jurisdictions may be imposed pursuant to a declared state of emergency and in accordance with rules promulgated by the Board

Continuing Education for Licensure Renewal

1. Ten clock hours per year
2. Of the 10 hours, 5 must be in the area of licensure and the remaining 5 may be in areas related to the professions of speech-language pathology or audiology. Dual licensee shall complete 15 hours per year
3. Licensees may not carry over credits from one renewal period to the next.

Hearing Aid Dispensing

1. Audiologists may dispense under an audiology license provided that they:
   • Register with the Board the intent to fit and dispense hearing aids
   • Comply with FDA guidelines for fitting and dispensing
   • Show evidence of a graduate degree in audiology with 30 semester credit hours of coursework, with a minimum of 6 hours in amplification and 350 supervised clock hours of clinical practicum with 80 hours in amplification
   • Complete 9 months of postgraduate professional experience under the supervision of a licensed dispensing audiologist
2. A licensed audiologist who lacks the coursework and practicum requirements may also comply by: 
• Completing 9 months of postgraduate professional experience under the supervision of a licensed dispensing audiologist
• Proof of successful completion of a study course by the National Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies or its equivalent

Support Personnel

1. In order to be licensed as a speech-language pathology assistant, one must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, good moral character, completed a 225-hour supervised clinical practicum and completed supervised on-the-job training.
2. The Board may grant a provisional speech-language pathology assistant license to those individuals who have earned 100 supervised clinical practicum hours and except for the supervised on-the-job training, meet all remaining requirements for licensure.
3. The supervising speech-language pathologist supervising a speech-language pathology assistant must provide a minimum of 1 clock hour per week of on-site, in-view supervision and a minimum of 1 clock hour per week of alternative supervision.
4. The supervising speech-language pathologist supervising a provisional speech-language pathology assistant must provide a minimum of 3 clock hours of on-site, in-view supervision per week and a minimum of 2 clock hours of alternative supervision.
5. The licensed speech-language pathologist may not supervise more than three assistants.
6. Speech-language pathology assistants must complete 10 hours of CE per year.
7. Speech-language pathology or audiology aides must be of good moral character, at least 18 years old, and have a high school diploma or GED.
8. Aides are exempted from licensure requirements but must be reported on the annual renewal form.
9. Supervision for aides must be periodic direct observation once per month during the initial year.

Board Oversight

Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

Board Composition

The Board shall comprise seven state residents; two shall be practicing audiologists, one of whom shall be a dispensing audiologist; two shall be practicing speech-language pathologists, one of whom currently certified by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as a specialist of speech-language pathology and currently employed in a school setting; one shall be either a practicing speech-language pathologist or audiologist; one shall be a physician licensed in Louisiana who shall serve in an advisory capacity only; and one shall be a member of the general public.

Telepractice

State Code of Ethics provision: Individuals may practice by telecommunication (i.e., telepractice, telehealth, e-health) provided they hold the appropriate licensure for the jurisdiction in which the service is rendered and delivered.

Web site

Louisiana Board of Examiners for SLP and Audiology

Questions regarding this document? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.