(a) The Legislature recognizes that the education and experience requirements of this chapter constitute only minimal requirements to assure the public of professional competence. The Legislature encourages all professionals licensed and registered by the board under this chapter to regularly engage in continuing professional development and learning that is related and relevant to the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology.
(b) The board shall not renew any license or registration pursuant to this chapter unless the applicant certifies to the board that he or she has completed in the preceding two years not less than the minimum number of continuing professional development hours established by the board pursuant to subdivision (c) for the professional practice authorized by his or her license or registration.
(c) (1) The board shall prescribe the forms utilized for and the number of hours of required continuing professional development for persons licensed or registered under this chapter.
(2) The board shall have the right to audit the records of any applicant to verify the completion of the continuing professional development requirements.
(3) Applicants shall maintain records of completion of required continuing professional development coursework for a minimum of two years and shall make these records available to the board for auditing purposes upon request.
(d) The board shall establish exceptions from the continuing professional development requirements of this section for good cause as defined by the board.
(e) (1) The continuing professional development services shall be obtained from accredited institutions of higher learning, organizations approved as continuing education providers by either the American Speech-Language Hearing Association or the American Academy of Audiology, the California Medical Association’s Institute for Medical Quality Continuing Medical Education Program, or other entities or organizations approved as continuing professional development providers by the board, in its discretion.
(2) No hours shall be credited for any course enrolled in by a licensee that has not first been approved and certified by the board, if the board has sufficient funding and staff resources to implement the approval and certification process.
(3) The continuing professional development services offered by these entities may, but are not required to, utilize pretesting and posttesting or other evaluation techniques to measure and demonstrate improved professional learning and competency.
(4) An accredited institution of higher learning, an organization approved as continuing education providers by either the American Speech-Language Hearing Association or the American Academy of Audiology, and the California Medical Association’s Institute for Medical Quality Continuing Education Program shall be exempt from any application or registration fees that the board may charge for continuing education providers.
(5) Unless a course offered by entities listed in paragraph (4) meets the requirements established by the board, the course may not be credited towards the continuing professional development requirements for license renewal.
(6) The licensee shall be responsible for obtaining the required course completion documents for courses offered by entities specified in paragraph (1).
(f) The board, by regulation, shall fund the administration of this section through professional development services provider and licensing fees to be deposited in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board Fund. The fees related to the administration of this section shall be sufficient to meet, but shall not exceed, the costs of administering the corresponding provisions of this section.
(g) The continuing professional development requirements adopted by the board shall comply with any guidelines for mandatory continuing education established by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 516, Sec. 9. (SB 305) Effective January 1, 2014.)