2017 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 40 - Professions and Occupations
CHAPTER 67 - SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS AND AUDIOLOGISTS
Section 40-67-220. Period of licensure; qualifications for licensure; submittal of documented evidence; inactive licensure.

(A) A license must be issued independently in either speech-language pathology or audiology. A license is valid for two years; however, an intern license only is valid for one year. A license application received after December thirty-first is valid for the next licensure period.

(B) To be licensed by the board as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist an individual must have:

(1)(a) earned a post-graduate degree in speech-language pathology or audiology from a school or program with regional accreditation determined by the board to be equivalent to those accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) or other board-approved authority;

(b) achieved a passing score on a national examination as approved by the board; and

(c) completed Supervised Professional Employment (SPE) as defined by the board in regulation; or

(2) met ASHA's Standards for Certificate of Clinical Competence, or its equivalent as approved by the board, in speech-language pathology or audiology in effect at the time of application; or

(3) a current ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence or its equivalent as approved by the board.

(C) An applicant for active licensure in audiology with a master's in audiology degree awarded before January 1, 2007, must submit or cause to be submitted documented evidence of the following:

(1)(a) holding at least a master's degree in audiology or its equivalent from a school or program determined by the board to be equivalent to those accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA);

(b) successful completion of a supervised clinical practicum approved by the board; and

(c) successful completion of postgraduate professional experience approved by the board; or

(2) meeting ASHA's standards for Certificate of Clinical Competence or its equivalent as approved by the board.

(D) An applicant for active licensure in audiology with a doctorate in audiology degree awarded after January 1, 2007, must submit or cause to be submitted documented evidence of:

(1) holding a doctoral degree in audiology from a school or educational institution with regional accreditation determined by the board to be equivalent to those accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA); or

(2) meeting ASHA's standards for Certificate of Clinical Competence or its equivalent as approved by the board.

(E)(1) A speech-language pathology or audiology intern license must be issued to an applicant who has satisfied the requirement of subsection (B)(1)(a) and who has not passed the examination required by subsection (B)(1)(b) or who lacks the supervised professional employment as required by subsection (B)(1)(c), or both.

(2) A person who has been issued a license as an intern who has not met the requirement of subsection (B)(1)(b) must pass an examination approved by the board within twelve months of the issuance of the intern license.

(F) To be licensed as a speech-language pathology assistant, an applicant must have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in speech-language pathology and must submit an application which includes a supervisory agreement and an on-the-job training plan, both of which must comply with requirements established by the board in regulation. Speech-language pathologists who use a speech-language pathology assistant in their practices must comply with guidelines promulgated by the board in regulation.

(G) A person requesting inactive licensure must demonstrate documented evidence of:

(1) holding a valid unrestricted license issued by this board at the time that inactive licensure is requested;

(2) agreeing not to practice speech-language pathology or audiology while holding an inactive license. An inactive license may be renewed for a maximum of four biennial renewal periods.

HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 96, Section 1; 2014 Act No. 167 (S.997), Section 3, eff May 16, 2014.

Editor's Note

2015 Act No. 124, eff June 3, 2015, Sections 1-4,provide as follows:

"SECTION 1. An applicant for licensure as a speech-language pathologist assistant who earned a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology from a nationally accredited institution of higher education is exempt from the requirement of having a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education found in Section 40-67-220(F) of the 1976 Code, which was enacted by Act 167 of 2014, on May 16, 2014.

"SECTION 2. The provisions of this joint resolution apply retroactively.

"SECTION 3. The provisions of this joint resolution must be liberally construed to effectuate the purposes of this joint resolution.

"SECTION 4. This joint resolution takes effect upon approval by the Governor and expires on July 1, 2019."

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 167, Section 3, rewrote the section.