The Florida Senate

468.1155  Provisional license; requirements.--

(1)(a)  A provisional license shall be required of all applicants who cannot document 9 months of supervised professional employment experience and a passing score on the national examination.

(b)  Individuals who are required to hold a provisional license under paragraph (a) shall apply to the department and be certified by the board for licensure prior to initiating the professional employment experience required pursuant to s. 468.1165.

(2)  The department shall issue a provisional license to practice speech-language pathology to each applicant who the board certifies has:

(a)  Completed the application form and remitted the required fees, including a nonrefundable application fee.

(b)  Received a master's degree or is currently enrolled in a doctoral degree program with a major emphasis in speech-language pathology from an institution of higher learning which is, or at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated was, accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or from an institution which is a member in good standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. An applicant who graduated from or is currently enrolled in a program at a university or college outside the United States or Canada must present documentation of the determination of equivalency to standards established by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in order to qualify. The applicant must have completed 60 semester hours that include:

1.  Fundamental information applicable to the normal development and use of speech, hearing, and language; information about training in management of speech, hearing, and language disorders; and information supplementary to these fields.

2.  Six semester hours in audiology.

3.  Thirty of the required 60 semester hours in courses acceptable toward a graduate degree by the college or university in which these courses were taken, of which 24 semester hours must be in speech-language pathology.

(c)  Completed 300 supervised clinical clock hours with 200 clock hours in the area of speech-language pathology or completed the number of clock hours required by an accredited institution meeting national certification standards. The supervised clinical clock hours shall be completed within the training institution or one of its cooperating programs.

(3)  The department shall issue a provisional license to practice audiology to each applicant who the board certifies has:

(a)  Completed the application form and remitted the required fees, including a nonrefundable application fee.

(b)  Received a master's degree or is currently enrolled in a doctoral degree program with a major emphasis in audiology from an institution of higher learning which is, or at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated was, accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or from an institution which is a member in good standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. An applicant who graduated from or is currently enrolled in a program at a university or college outside the United States or Canada must present documentation of the determination of equivalency to standards established by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in order to qualify. The applicant must have completed 60 semester hours that include:

1.  Fundamental information applicable to the normal development and use of speech, hearing, and language; information about training in management of speech, hearing, and language disorders; and information supplementary to these fields.

2.  Six semester hours in speech-language pathology.

3.  Thirty of the required 60 semester hours in courses acceptable toward a graduate degree by the college or university in which these courses were taken, of which 24 semester hours must be in audiology.

(c)  Completed 300 supervised clinical clock hours with 200 clock hours in the area of audiology or completed the number of clock hours required by an accredited institution meeting national certification standards. The supervised clinical clock hours shall be completed within the training institution or one of its cooperating programs.

(4)  An applicant who has received a master's degree or is currently enrolled in a doctoral degree program with a major emphasis in speech-language pathology as provided in subsection (2), or audiology as provided in subsection (3), and who seeks licensure in the area in which the applicant is not currently licensed, must have completed 30 semester hours in courses acceptable toward a graduate degree and 200 supervised clinical clock hours in the second discipline from an accredited institution.

(5)  The board, by rule, shall establish requirements for the renewal of a provisional license. However, a provisional license may not exceed a period of 24 months.

History.--ss. 6, 31, ch. 90-134; s. 21, ch. 90-341; ss. 1, 10, ch. 90-345; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 102, ch. 92-149; s. 25, ch. 94-310; s. 113, ch. 97-264; s. 127, ch. 99-397; s. 114, ch. 2001-277.