(1) An applicant for licensure as a hearing aid specialist must have the following minimum qualifications and shall pay a fee determined by the secretary as provided in RCW 43.70.250. An applicant shall be issued a license under the provisions of this chapter if the applicant has not committed unprofessional conduct as specified by chapter 18.130 RCW, and:

(a)(i) Satisfactorily completes the hearing aid specialist examination required by this chapter; and

(ii) Satisfactorily completes:

(A) A minimum of a two-year degree program in hearing aid specialist instruction. The program must be approved by the board;

(B) A two-year or four-year degree in a field of study approved by the board from an accredited institution, a nine-month board-approved certificate program offered by a board-approved hearing aid specialist program, and the practical examination approved by the board. The practical examination must be given at least quarterly, as determined by the board. The department may hire licensed industry experts approved by the board to proctor the examination; or

(b) Holds a current, unsuspended, unrevoked license from another jurisdiction if the standards for licensing in such other jurisdiction are substantially equivalent to those prevailing in this state as provided in (a) of this subsection; or

(c)(i) Holds a current, unsuspended, unrevoked license from another jurisdiction, has been actively practicing as a licensed hearing aid specialist in another jurisdiction for at least forty-eight of the last sixty months, and submits proof of completion of advance certification from either the international hearing society or the national board for certification in hearing instrument sciences; and

(ii) Satisfactorily completes the hearing aid specialist examination required by this chapter or a substantially equivalent examination approved by the board.

The applicant must present proof of qualifications to the board in the manner and on forms prescribed by the secretary.

(2)(a) An applicant for licensure as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist must have the following minimum qualifications:

(i) Has not committed unprofessional conduct as specified by the uniform disciplinary act;

(ii) Has a master's degree or the equivalent, or a doctorate degree or the equivalent, from a program at a board-approved institution of higher learning, which includes completion of a supervised clinical practicum experience as defined by rules adopted by the board; and

(iii) Has completed postgraduate professional work experience approved by the board.

(b) All qualified applicants must satisfactorily complete the speech-language pathology or audiology examinations required by this chapter.

(c) The applicant must present proof of qualifications to the board in the manner and on forms prescribed by the secretary.

(3) An applicant for certification as a speech-language pathology assistant shall pay a fee determined by the secretary as provided in RCW 43.70.250 and must have the following minimum qualifications:

(a) An associate of arts or sciences degree, or a certificate of proficiency, from a speech-language pathology assistant program from an institution of higher education that is approved by the board, as is evidenced by the following:

(i) Transcripts showing forty-five quarter hours or thirty semester hours of speech-language pathology coursework; and

(ii) Transcripts showing forty-five quarter hours or thirty semester hours of general education credit; or

(b) A bachelor of arts or bachelor of sciences degree, as evidenced by transcripts, from a speech, language, and hearing program from an institution of higher education that is approved by the board.

Effective date—2014 c 189 s 4: "Section 4 of this act takes effect July 1, 2015." [ 2014 c 189 s 19.]

Work group—2014 c 189: See note following RCW 18.35.010.

Speech-language pathology assistants—Certification requirements—2009 c 301: "An applicant for certification as a speech-language pathology assistant may meet the requirements for certification as a speech-language pathology assistant if, within one year of July 1, 2010, he or she submits a competency checklist to the board of hearing and speech, and is employed under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist for at least six hundred hours within the last three years as defined by the board by rule." [ 2010 c 65 s 5; 2009 c 301 s 11.]

Intent—Implementation—2009 c 301: See notes following RCW 18.35.010.

Effective date—2002 c 310: See note following RCW 18.35.010.

Effective date—1998 c 142 ss 1-14 and 16-20: See note following RCW 18.35.010.