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OPLER recommends "mandatory certification" for speech, hearing professions; clinicians and patient advocates push back
Summary
OPLER recommended replacing current licensure for audiologists, speech-language pathologists and hearing-instrument specialists with a "mandatory certification" model that preserves entry standards but eliminates periodic renewal and an advisory board; public testimony raised safety, compact membership and reimbursement concerns.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Office of Professional Licensure and Regulation (OPLER) presented a package of recommendations Oct. 15 that would change how Utah regulates audiologists, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and hearing-instrument specialists.
OPLER director Jeff Shumway described a new "mandatory certification" model aimed at reducing administrative renewal burden while preserving entry standards (education, experience, exam) and DOPL oversight. Key elements presented included a one-time certification ("once-and-done"), elimination of routine two-year renewals, an alternative ongoing-competence pathway that would allow a certified practitioner to demonstrate currency either through continuing education, national certification, or a specified amount of continuous clinical work, and removal of the current…
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