(a) An applicant for a license by examination or for an internship shall:
(1) Submit an application on the form and within the time prescribed by the Arkansas Board of Hearing Instrument Dispensers;
(2) Pay an application fee in the amount prescribed by the board; and
(3) Show to the satisfaction of the Arkansas Board of Hearing Instrument Dispensers that he or she:
(A) Is twenty (20) years of age or older; and
(B) Has an education equivalent of two (2) or more years of accredited college-level course work from a regionally accredited college or university.
(b) An applicant who meets the qualifications set out in subsection (a) of this section shall meet at least one (1) of the following criteria:
(1)
(A) Complete a valid one-year employment internship during which he or she is under the direct personal and physical supervision of a sponsor who has continuously held in good standing for a period of not less than three (3) years either a valid Arkansas hearing instrument dispenser's license or a valid Arkansas audiology license.
(B) The board shall determine by rule what constitutes a valid one-year employment internship;
(2) Hold a National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences certificate;
(3) Be registered as a hearing instrument dispenser in good standing in another state whose licensing requirements meet or exceed the licensing requirements of the State of Arkansas at the time of his or her application;
(4) Be a graduate of an American Conference of Audioprosthology program; or
(5) Hold an Associate of Applied Science degree in Hearing Healthcare Practitioner or a similar degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
(c) Before the beginning of the internship period, the applicant shall:
(1) Receive board approval of the application and training schedule; and
(2) Pay the internship fee prescribed by the board under this chapter.
(d)
(1) A person participating in a valid internship program as determined by the board under subdivision (b)(1)(B) of this section may take the licensing examination, written or practicum, or both, upon written recommendation of his or her sponsor after successfully completing six (6) months in the internship program.
(2) If the person successfully passes the examination, he or she may complete the one-year internship program under the oversight of the sponsor without direct personal and physical supervision if he or she works out of the same place of business as the sponsor.
(3) If the person fails any part of the examination, he or she shall complete the full one-year internship before reexamination.
(4)
(A) Any examination taken during an internship shall be considered as one (1) of three (3) attempts to pass the examination allowed under § 17-84-305(d).
(B) After three (3) failed attempts to pass the examination allowed under § 17-84-305(d), the person shall repeat the internship application.
(5) It is a violation of this chapter for any person during the course of his or her internship to practice the dispensing of hearing instruments except under:
(A) The direct personal and physical supervision of his or her sponsor; or
(B) The conditions set out in this subsection.