Georgia State Characteristics of Licensure Law

Last updated April 2008

The information below is collected from state licensure boards or regulatory agencies responsible for regulating the professions of Speech-Language Pathology and/or Audiology. It is intended for informational use only, and should not be construed as legal advice.

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

Initial Licensure Requirements

Audiology

Doctoral degree in audiology or completed the academic requirement of a doctoral degree program with a major emphasis in audiology from an institution of higher learning that is, or at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated was, accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or its successor organization
or
earned a master's degree with a major emphasis in audiology that was conferred before January 1, 2007, from an institution of higher learning that was, at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated, accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or its successor organization
Completed the requirement of no less than 2 months full-time professional experience
Passage of a Board approved national exam
Demonstrated recency of study through 2 CEUs within 2 years preceding application

Speech-Language Pathology

Master's or higher degree with a major emphasis in speech-language pathology from an accredited program, which incorporates the academic coursework of 75 semester hours, 36 of which must be earned at the graduate level
Complete a supervised clinical practicum with experience working with adults and children, in a variety of settings and a variety of communication problems. The experience must be obtained within an accredited program and amount to 375 clock hours of direct supervision and 25 clock hours of observation. At least 325 of the 400 hours must be obtained at the graduate level.
Complete a required professional experience of no less than 9 months of full-time or 18 months of part-time paid clinical experience
Passage of a national examination approved by the Board
Recency of study must be demonstrated via 2 CEUs within 2 years preceding application.

Foreign Graduates

Any speech-language pathology or audiology applicant who graduated from or is currently enrolled in a program at a university or college outside the United States or Canada shall:

Present documentation of the determination of equivalency to standards established by the U.S. Department of Education or its successor organization
and
Have completed the academic and clinical requirements established by rule of the Board
The Board may waive the education, practicum, and professional employment experience requirements for an applicant who received a professional education in another country if the Board is satisfied that the applicant has met equivalent requirements and met other requirements established by rule of the Board.

Exemptions

Speech-language pathologists certified by the Department of Education or Professional Standards Commission while an employee of an educational institution, provided that no fees are charged for the services except for Medicaid
Students, interns, or clinical fellows
Hearing aid dealers
Physicians or physician-supervised persons from conducting hearing testing provided that the physician is on premises when such acts are performed
Persons performing nondiagnostic infant hearing screening, provided that the individual completes a specific training program under a licensed audiologist; the screening equipment is fully automated; results are determined automatically as "pass or fail;" the licensed audiologist is responsible for training, protocol, administration, and periodic monitoring; and the non-licensed individual may only record patient information; apply earphones, electrodes, or other devices; the initiation of the test; recording of results; and arrangement of referral.

Reciprocity/Endorsement

Upon payment of fees, the Board may grant a license without examination to:

Applicants who hold current licensure in another state with equivalent requirements
Applicants with a CCC or ABA certification, provided that the applicant otherwise meets the other eligibility requirements
Applicants from foreign countries must have their credentials evaluated by an independent foreign credential evaluations service including a course-by-course evaluation and an indication of the equivalent highest level of education and must submit it to the Board for verification and comparison to GA laws and rules.

Interim Practice/Temporary Licensing

A provisional license is required for the PCE/RPE Fellowship. Supervisors must be Georgia licensed and may supervise only 2 Fellows at a time. The license is valid for 1 year.
The Board may establish a mechanism to provide for inactive status licenses to applicants.

Continuing Education for Licensure Renewal

Twenty clock hours or 2.0 CEUs per biennium. Dual license holders must complete 2.0 CEUs per biennium in each field.

Hearing Aid Dispensing

Audiologists may dispense under an audiology license.

Support Personnel

Speech-language pathology aides must register with the Board and provide evidence of a high school diploma or GED; Audiology assistants must register with the Board and provide evidence of two years of college education or an associate's degree from an accredited college, or completion of a technical school certification program approved by the Board or completion of an assistant program approved by the Board.
The Georgia licensed supervisor must submit to the Board a description of a minimum of 40 hours of proposed instruction in the specific duties that the aide or assistant will perform; the supervisor must then submit to the Board verification that the training was completed satisfactorily within 30 working days of the applicant's employment.
Full time supervisors may supervise 2 persons, part-time equals only 1 aid/assistant per supervisor. The supervisor shall directly supervise the first 10 hours of direct client contact and 1 hour per week afterwards for aides and 2 hours per week for assistants.
Audiology assistants must complete 10 hours of continuing education per biennium.
Registration as a speech-language pathology aid is not required of an aide that is an employee of an educational institution provided that no fees are charged for services.

Board Oversight

Professional Licensing Boards Division of Secretary of State, Board of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology

Board Composition

The Board shall comprised eight persons appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate; appointments may be made from lists of names submitted by the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Georgia Organization for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists, Georgia Academy of Audiology and the Georgia Society of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery or other interested persons; three members shall be licensed speech-language pathologists and three members shall be licensed audiologists, one member shall be a board-certified otolaryngologist of the state and one shall be a lay person.

Telepractice

Any person in this state or physically located in another state or foreign country who, using telecommunications and information technologies through which speech-language pathology information and auditory-vestibular system information or data is transmitted, performs an act that is part of a patient care service located in this state, including but not limited to any measures of speech-language pathology or auditory-vestibular system function or hearing instrument selection, fitting, or dispensing that would affect the diagnosis or treatment of the patient is engaged in the practice of speech-language pathology or audiology in this state and as such must be required to have a state license and shall be subject to regulation by the Board. This section does not apply to the following:

The acts of a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist located in another state or foreign country who provides consultation at the request of a state licensee
The acts of a speech-language pathologist or audiologist licensed in another state/country who provides consultation services without compensation, remuneration and without altering, adjusting or manipulating hearing aid device controls or provides consultation services to a graduate school located in this state and approved by the Board or when invited as the guest of a graduate school or institution of higher learning for the sole purpose of engaging in professional education through lectures, clinics, or demonstrations
This section shall not be construed to alter the scope of practice of any health care provider or authorize the delivery of health care services in a setting or in a manner not authorized by the laws of this state.
All persons subject to the provisions of this Code section shall be required to comply with all applicable requirements of the laws of this state relation to the maintenance of patient records and the confidentiality of patient information regardless of where such speech-language pathologist or audiologist may be located and regardless of where or how the records of any patient located in this state are maintained.