Application and licensing requirements

260 CMR: BOARD OF REGISTRATION IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY

260 CMR 2.00: APPLICATION AND LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

Section

2.01: Application Procedures 2.02: Good Moral Character Requirement 2.03: Educational, Supervised Professional Practice, and Examination Requirements 2.04: Reciprocal Licensure

2.01: Application Procedures

(1) Application must be made on electronic or paper forms furnished by the Board. Applicants are required to have a full understanding of M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 138 through 147 and 260 CMR.

(2) No application shall be acted upon by the Board unless said application is made on electronic or paper forms which are furnished by the Board, and unless said application is completely and properly filled out, signed under the penalties of perjury, includes designated fees, and is accompanied by such other information as the Board requires.

(3) Before commencing employment in the Commonwealth as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathologist Provisional Licensee, Audiologist, Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, or Audiology Assistant the applicant must first secure a license from the Board.

(4) There will be no proration of fees for those applying between renewal dates.

(5) An individual seeking licensure as both a Speech-Language Pathologist and an Audiologist must submit a separate application for each license and will be required to pay the relevant fees for each license.

(6) An individual seeking licensure as both a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant and an Audiology Assistant must submit a separate application for each license and will be required to pay the relevant fees for each license.

2.02: Good Moral Character Requirement

(1) An application for registration as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathologist Provisional Licensee, Audiologist, Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, or Audiology Assistant, whether by examination pursuant to .03 or by reciprocity pursuant to .04, shall be accompanied by such written documentation as the Board may reasonably require in order to determine whether the applicant is of good moral character.

(2) If the Board receives information about an applicant for registration which reasonably raises a question about whether that applicant is of good moral character, the Board shall conduct a further inquiry into the relevant facts and circumstances before making a final decision on the application. (a) If the Board determines, in its discretion, that such steps are reasonably necessary, the Board may require the applicant to appear personally before the Board, and/or furnish additional written information to the extent permitted by applicable state or federal law. (b) The burden of demonstrating that the applicant possesses the good moral character required for registration shall rest with the applicant.

(3) Conduct which reasonably raises a question about whether an applicant possesses the good moral character required for registration includes, but is not necessarily limited to, any of the following: (a) Conviction of any criminal offense, other than a routine traffic violation; (b) Disciplinary action taken against any professional license, registration or certification held by the applicant, or denial of licensure, by the applicable governmental authority of any state, territory or political subdivision of the United States or Canada; or

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(c) Conduct which is not within the meaning of 260 CMR 1.03: Grounds for Imposition of Disciplinary Sanctions or 2.02(3)(b), but which nevertheless involves any of the following: 1. Failure to exercise proper regard for the health, welfare, safety or legal rights of another person; or 2. Fraud, deception or lack of honesty or truthfulness.

(4) For purposes of .02(3), the term “conviction” means any of the following: (a) a final judgment entered after a jury verdict of guilty or a judicial finding of guilty; (b) a plea of guilty; (c) a plea of nolo contendere (no contest); or (d) any other plea or finding which is treated by the court as a plea or finding of guilty. The standards in .06(4)(a) through (d) shall apply regardless of the law of the jurisdiction in which the disposition occurred.

(5) For purposes of .02(3), the term “disciplinary action” means any of the following: (a) Denial of a license, registration or certification for any reason other than failure to meet the educational, experiential or examination requirements established by applicable law or regulation for that license, registration or certification; (b) Refusal to issue a license, registration or certification for any reason other than failure to meet the educational, experiential or examination requirements established by applicable law or regulation for that license, registration or certification; (c) Revocation or suspension of a license, registration or certification; (d) Placement of a license, registration or certification on probation; (e) Issuance of a letter of censure; (f) Issuance of a written reprimand; or (g) Any other adverse action against the applicant’s license, registration or certification which constitutes “disciplinary action” under the applicable laws and/or regulations of the jurisdiction in which that adverse action was taken.

(6) In determining whether an application for registration should be denied because the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense, within the meaning of .02(3)(a), or the applicant has been the subject of a disciplinary action by the applicable governmental authority of another jurisdiction, within the meaning of .02(3)(b), the Board shall consider all of the relevant facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to the following: (a) The nature of the criminal offense(s) or conduct which gave rise to the disciplinary action; (b) The date of the criminal conviction(s) or date of the disciplinary action; (c) The age of the applicant at the time of the criminal conviction(s) or age and level of professional experience at the time of the conduct which gave rise to the disciplinary action; (d) The number of criminal conviction(s) or number of disciplinary actions taken against the applicant; (e) The nature and severity of the sentence or sanction imposed for each criminal conviction or nature and severity of the disciplinary sanction(s) imposed; (f) Whether the conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction or disciplinary action demonstrates an intentional or deliberate disregard for the life, health, safety or welfare of others; (g) Whether the conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction involved the commission of acts of physical or sexual violence or coercion against another person; (h) Whether the conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction or disciplinary action otherwise poses a continued or continuing risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public; (i) Whether the conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction or disciplinary action involved trafficking in, or illegally manufacturing, controlled substances as defined by applicable state or federal law; (j) Whether the conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction or disciplinary action involves fraud, deception, a lack of honesty, a lack of truthfulness or veracity, or a lack of personal integrity or trustworthiness;

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(k) Whether there is a significant relationship between the conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction or disciplinary action and the nature of the activities which the applicant will be authorized to perform if the registration is granted.

2.03: Educational, Supervised Professional Practice, and Examination Requirements

To be licensed as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathologist Provisional Licensee, Audiologist, Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, or Audiology Assistant, an applicant must be of good moral character and meet the following educational, clinical, supervised professional practice, and examination requirements. Where standards created by professional organizations are referenced, the Board does not require that licensees maintain membership in said organization. Additionally, where clinical supervision is required, the Board will accept supervision from a supervisor with a current license in good standing in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology in Massachusetts, or a current license in good standing in a state or territory with equivalent standards to those of Massachusetts, or a certificate from the appropriate professional organization.

(1) Applicants who apply for licensure as a Speech-Language Pathologist must submit evidence that the applicant meets the 2020 Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, effective January 1, 2020, published by the ASHA Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology and available at http://www.asha.org/Certification/2020-slp-certification-standards/.

(2) Applicants who apply for licensure as an Audiologist must submit evidence that the applicant either: (a) meets the January 1, 2020 ASHA Standards and Implementation Procedures for a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology available at https://www.asha.org/certification/2020-Audiology-Certification-Standards/ or (b) meets the April 1, 2020 requirements for board certification from the American Board of Audiology available at http://www.boardofaudiology.org.

(3) Applicants who apply for licensure as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant or Audiology Assistant must: (a) provide evidence of one of the following types of appropriate educational preparation; 1. possess an associate’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology from a training program approved by a national certifying body; or 2. possess a bachelor’s degree with a major in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology; or 3. possess a bachelor’s degree and a certificate from a Board approved Speech- Language Pathology or Audiology assistant program; or 4. possess an associate degree, bachelor degree, or advanced degree, and demonstrate having successfully completed 18 semester credit hours of coursework in Speech- Language Pathology and/or Audiology, six of which must be in disorders of speech, language, or hearing; or other coursework as the Board may approve. (b) Such applicants must also have completed 20 hours of observation of clinical practice by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist.

(4) Applicants who apply for provisional licensure as a Speech-Language Pathologist Provisional Licensee must provide evidence of a bachelor's degree, or its equivalent; and a master's degree, or its equivalent, in the area of Speech-Language Pathology granted by an educational institution that incorporates academic course work and the minimum hours of supervised training required by ASHA or another national certifying body for Speech-Language Pathology approved by the Board. (a) A provisional license in Speech-Language Pathology authorizes an individual to practice Speech-Language Pathology as a clinical fellow under the supervision of a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist in order to complete the experience requirement for licensure.

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(b) The supervising Speech-Language Pathologist must meet the ASHA qualifications for a Clinical Fellow Mentor under the 2020 Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology published by the ASHA Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology and available at http://www.asha.org/practice/supervision/supervision-of-clinical-fellows/. (c) The provisional license shall be valid, unless suspended, revoked, or otherwise cancelled by the Board, for the period of supervised practice required by ASHA or another national certifying body for Speech-Language Pathology approved by the Board.

2.04: Reciprocal Licensure

The Board may, at its discretion and without examination, license a Speech-Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathologist Provisional Licensee, an Audiologist, a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, or an Audiology Assistant who is duly licensed or registered under the laws of another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or from a foreign country, state or province that requires an exam approved by the Board or a Board Recognized Entity. Such an applicant must hold a current valid license from another state, district, or territory or foreign country, state or province. The applicant must meet the requirements prescribed under 260 CMR in effect at the time of application. The applicant must report to the Board any previous reprimands, suspensions, or revocations of their license or any other Disciplinary Action. In its determination whether or not to reciprocally license an applicant, the Board may require any necessary documents for proper evaluation and payment of any relevant fees.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

.00: M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 138 through 147; c. 13, §§ 85 through 87.

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