Sec. 20-395c. Qualification for licensure. Waiver of postgraduate supervised employment requirement. Waiver of written examination.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no person shall be licensed pursuant to this section until such person has successfully passed a written examination prescribed by the commissioner. Application for licensure shall be on forms prescribed by the department and shall be accompanied by satisfactory proof that the applicant: (1) If graduated on or after January 1, 2007, possesses a doctorate degree in audiology from a program accredited, at the time of the applicant's graduation, by the educational standards board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or its successor organization, the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education, or other accreditation organization recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit audiology education programs, (2) if graduated prior to January 1, 2007, possesses a master's or doctorate degree in audiology from a program accredited, at the time of the applicant's graduation, by the educational standards board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education, or other accreditation organization recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit audiology education programs, or (3) (A) has completed an integrated educational program which, at the time of the applicant's completion, satisfied the educational requirements of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for the award of a certificate of clinical competence; and (B) has satisfactorily completed a minimum of thirty-six weeks, including at least one thousand eighty hours of full-time or a minimum of forty-eight weeks, including at least one thousand four hundred forty hours of part-time professional employment in audiology under the supervision of a licensed audiologist. Such employment shall follow the completion of the educational requirements and shall consist of at least six sessions of supervision per month providing a total of at least four hours of supervision per month, at least two sessions of which shall provide a total of at least two hours of direct on-site observation of audiology services provided by the applicant. For purposes of this section, “full-time employment” means a minimum of thirty hours a week and “part-time employment” means a minimum of fifteen hours a week. Persons engaged in such employment under the direct supervision of a person holding a valid hearing instrument specialist's license or a license as an audiologist, who is authorized to fit and sell hearing aids pursuant to section 20-398 shall not be required to obtain a temporary permit pursuant to section 20-400.

(b) The postgraduate supervised employment requirements of subsection (a) of this section shall be waived for persons who have been awarded a doctoral degree in audiology from an accredited program on or after January 1, 2007.

(c) The commissioner may waive the written examination required in subsection (a) of this section for any person who: (1) Is licensed as an audiologist in another state or territory of the United States and such state has licensing requirements at least equivalent to the requirements in this state; or (2) holds a certificate in audiology from a national professional organization, approved by the commissioner.

(P.A. 09-232, S. 55.)