ASHA Announces Eligibility Pathways for Assistants Certification Program
ROCKVILLE, Md. (PRWEB) July 01, 2019 -- Today, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announced eligibility pathways for the first ever certification program for audiology assistants and speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs).
Developed through the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, this certification creates a pipeline of trained and qualified mid-level professionals who meet uniform standards of competency and can support audiologists and speech-language pathologists across the full scope of practice.
Certificate holders will be certified by ASHA, a leader in credentialing professionals in the field of human communications for the past 65 years.
To apply for the audiology assistant or SLPA credentials, applicants must have at least one of the following:
- An associate degree in an audiology assistant or SLPA program from an accredited institution
- A bachelor’s degree from a communication sciences and disorders program that is part of an accredited institution
- Military job awarding certificate in audiology, plus practice experience
- Supervised field experience or its clinical equivalent providing direct patient/client services
To become certified, assistants must also do the following:
- Complete coursework or training that prepares them to practice as an assistant (i.e., patient confidentiality, ethics, universal safety precautions, and service provision to individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds)
- Pass a written exam designed to confirm that assistants possess the knowledge required to competently perform their job duties as an audiology or speech-language pathology assistant.
To maintain certification, assistants must complete a renewal process that requires an assessment of their continued competency and adherence to a code of ethics.
The first administration of the credentialing exam will occur in Fall 2020.
For more information, visit http://www.ASHAassistants.org.
About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 204,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems, including swallowing disorders.
View all ASHA press releases at http://www.asha.org/about/news.
Joseph Cerquone, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, +1 3012968732, [email protected]
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