Uniformity Across the States - You're Dreaming!

Hey, folks!

Today I feel the need to bring an issue into the light that I think many Speech Language Pathologist's (SLP's) across the nation would agree with.

My husband and I had considered moving elsewhere within the U.S., including the states of Texas and Idaho. I contacted their respective state licensing boards to receive clarification of acceptance via ASHA Certification (CCC's) in the absence of a U.S. graduate level education. To my disappointment, I never received a definitive response. Fortunately, Florida did accept my CCC's alone as an avenue for Florida state licensure.

America is funny that way – each state has its own rules and regulations. There is no such thing as uniformity across the nation.

Not all states will solely accept ASHA Certification, despite completion of the MRA program which proves Australian SLP qualification is the equivalent to that of an American graduate level education. This makes me sad as the world is becoming a platform for information- and resource-sharing on a global scale. Our profession needs to keep up with this current trend.

You can look up SLP license requirements on a state by state basis here.


This brings me to another very IMPORTANT point:

It's not only difficult for foreigners to gain state licensure. I have been in touch with many American citizens, who have completed their education within America yet have experienced great difficulty applying for state licensure, and in particular, transferring their license between states. Some of the stories include living on the borderline between two states but only being able to be licensed and work in one, and struggling to keep up with all of the differing requirements to maintain two, or multiple, state licenses.

Something needs to be done about this inconsistency. We need to advocate for our profession and increase awareness of this issue.

When I attended ASHA's Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, last year, I was highly intrigued by a poster session presented by Shelly Chabon (PhD, CCC-SLP). She outlined the vast differences in renewal fees across the states, highlighting just one of the many drawbacks to maintaining multiple state licenses. Fortunately, Shelly has given me permission to show you two photographs that I took of her poster:

Presentation by Shelly Chabon (PhD, CCC-SLP). Photo taken by Maree Richardson. 

Presentation by Shelly Chabon (PhD, CCC-SLP). Photo taken by Maree Richardson. 

What have been some of your experiences applying for state licenses, transferring licenses interstate, or maintaining multiple state licenses?

Have a great week,

Maree

My Pathway to Florida Licensure

Hey folks!

In my second post (the main reason I started this blog) I talked about transferring my degree internationally and my path to gaining U.S. national certification as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). Today, I thought I would share in more detail how I obtained state licensure to work as an SLP within the state of Florida.

In Australia, registration with the national certifying board, Speech Pathology Australia (SPA), is not a requirement, nor does a license exist. Successful completion of intensive, undergraduate courses accredited by SPA is what's required to practice. When I moved to America, you can imagine how mind-blown I was when I was told that I not only needed to be registered on a national scale through the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), but also obtain a license to practice at state level. Whaaaattt?!


The Florida Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology stipulates three possible pathways to obtaining state licensure:

1. Licensure by Evaluation of Credentials (i.e. Master's or doctoral degree and their accompaniments).
2. Licensure by Endorsement from Another State/Territory (i.e. holding a valid license or certificate in another U.S. state or territory). 
3. Licensure by Endorsement of Certificate of Clinical Competence by ASHA (i.e. currently holds a CCC from ASHA). 

I pursued route number 3. More information about all pathways to obtaining a license in the state of Florida can be found here and here.

The good news is that obtaining my state license was a quicker process than national certification. It was simply a matter of completing the application, paying fees, completing a couple of online courses, and submitting supporting documents. The application can be completed online, which can be found here.

As a foreign candidate who obtained my CCC's through the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), rather than undergoing U.S. graduate level education, I felt it was necessary to clarify that the Florida Board would accept my application upon completion of all the requirements specified in pathway number 3. Thus, I contacted the Florida Board in written form to discuss my situation as a foreign candidate.

Did I receive a definitive answer? Drum roll please...


YES!

I had in writing that the Florida Board would accept my application as long as I successfully completed all of the requirements set out in route number 3.

Each U.S. state holds its own set of requirements, some more strict than others. This is a very important topic which deserves a blog post of its own, so I will discuss this another time.

Who else out there has gone through a state licensure process? If so, which state? What did the process entail?


Have a great week,

Maree