Chapter HAS 8

HAS 8.01   Authority.

HAS 8.02   Definitions.

HAS 8.03   Continuing education.

HAS 8.04   Approval of continuing education programs and courses of study.

HAS 8.05   Special continuing education requirements.

HAS 8.01 HAS 8.01 Authority. The rules in this chapter are adopted by the hearing and speech examining board under the authority of ss. 227.11 (2), 459.095, 459.12 (1) and 459.24 (5m), Stats.

HAS 8.01 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1999, No. 518, eff. 3-1-99.

HAS 8.02 HAS 8.02 Definitions. In this chapter:

HAS 8.02(1) (1) “Accredited university” means an institution which is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. department of education.

HAS 8.02(2) (2) “Course of study” means course work completed while enrolled as a student at a college or university accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. department of education.

HAS 8.02(3) (3) “Hour” means 60 minutes.

HAS 8.02(4) (4) “Licensee” means a hearing instrument specialist, audiologist or speech-language pathologist licensed by the board under ch. 459, Stats.

HAS 8.02(5) (5) “‘Program” means a seminar or course other than a course of study offered by a sponsor approved by the board.

HAS 8.02 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1999, No. 518, eff. 3-1-99.

HAS 8.03 HAS 8.03 Continuing education.

HAS 8.03(1) (1) Except as provided in sub. (6), hearing instrument specialists, audiologists and speech-language pathologists shall complete at least 20 hours of board approved continuing education programs or courses of study which pertain to the practice of fitting and dealing in hearing instruments, audiology or speech-language pathology, as appropriate, in each biennial renewal period. Of the 20 required hours, at least 2 hours shall relate to ethics.

HAS 8.03(2) (2) Except as provided under s. HAS 7.03 (2), continuing education hours may be applied only to the biennial registration period in which the continuing education hours are acquired.

HAS 8.03(3) (3) To obtain credit for completion of continuing education hours, a licensee shall, at the time of each renewal, sign a statement certifying that he or she has completed, within the 2 years immediately preceding the date of his or her application, 20 hours of continuing education programs or courses of study approved by the board, including at least 2 hours of ethics credits.

HAS 8.03(4) (4) A licensee who fails to meet the continuing education requirements by the renewal date shall not practice as a hearing instrument specialist, audiologist or speech-language pathologist, as appropriate, until his or her license is renewed or reinstated under ch. HAS 7.

HAS 8.03(5) (5) For auditing purposes, every licensee shall maintain records of continuing education hours for at least 5 years from the date the certification statement required under sub. (3) is signed.

HAS 8.03(6) (6) A new licensee is not required to report continuing education hours until the second renewal date following the initial grant of his or her license. A new licensee is not required to take or report continuing education prior to or at the time of the first renewal of the license after initial licensure. A licensee is required to take continuing education during the second 2-year period following licensure and report full compliance with the continuing education requirements at the time of the second renewal following licensure and every subsequent biennium.

HAS 8.03 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1999, No. 518, eff. 3-1-99; CR 05-026: am. (1) and cr. (6) Register September 2005 No. 597, eff. 10-1-05; CR 11-017: am. (1), (3), (6) Register August 2011 No. 668, eff. 9-1-11; CR 20-036: am. (2), (4) Register August 2021 No. 788, eff. 9-1-21.

HAS 8.04 HAS 8.04 Approval of continuing education programs and courses of study.

HAS 8.04(1) (1) Except as provided in subs. (6) and (7), to apply for approval of a continuing education program or course of study, a sponsor shall submit to the board office, at least 30 calendar days prior to the first date the program or course of study is offered, an application on forms provided by the board and shall include the name of the sponsor, the program or course title, general description and an outline of the program or course, the dates, the location, the name and qualifications of each instructor.

HAS 8.04 Note Note: Applications are available on the website at dsps.wi.gov or by calling (608) 266 - 2112.

HAS 8.04(2) (2) The following criteria shall be utilized in the approval process:

HAS 8.04(2)(a) (a) The subject matter of the program or course shall pertain to an area or topic approved or required by the board which relates to the practice of fitting and dealing in hearing instruments, audiology or speech-language pathology.

HAS 8.04(2)(b) (b) The program or course sponsor shall be approved by the board.

HAS 8.04(2)(c) (c) The program or course sponsor agrees to monitor the attendance, furnish a certificate of attendance to each participant and maintain records verifying attendance for at least 5 years.

HAS 8.04(3) (3) If a continuing education course includes subject matter other than the subject matter areas identified under sub. (2) (a), only the board approved portions of the course which relate to the areas identified under sub. (2) (a), qualify as continuing education required under this chapter.

HAS 8.04(4) (4) Continuing education programs or courses of study offered by alternative delivery methods such as home-study courses, self-study packages, computer courses, televideo conferencing and other methods may be approved by the board.

HAS 8.04(5) (5) A program or course sponsor may repeat a previously approved program or course without application, if the subject matter and instructor has not changed.

HAS 8.04(6) (6) Subject to compliance with the requirements set forth in subs. (2) to (5), the board may accept attendance at and completion of one or more continuing education programs or courses of study approved by the American Academy of Audiology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, International Hearing Society, or the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences as fulfilling the continuing education hours required under this chapter. Other acceptable continuing education activities include employer-sponsored in-service training programs, other professional organizations’ continuing education programs, college or university course work from an institution that holds regional accreditation or its equivalent, and courses offered by any provider authorized by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training. Prior approval is not required for activities related to professional development or practice, which are completed during the biennial renewal period, and for which the licensee has obtained acceptable documentation of attendance and completion.

HAS 8.04(7) (7) The board may accept attendance at and completion of graduate courses of study from an accredited university which pertain to the practice of fitting and dealing in hearing instruments, to audiology, or to speech-language pathology, as appropriate, as fulfilling one or more continuing education hours required under this chapter. Each clock hour of a course shall be equivalent to one hour of continuing education.

HAS 8.04 Note Note: The following entities may be contacted by writing to the: American Academy of Audiology (AAA), 8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300, McLean, Virginia, 22102; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852; Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), 125 South Webster, Madison, Wisconsin 53702; and the International Hearing Society (IHS) and National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS), 16880 Middlebelt Road, Suite 4, Livonia, Michigan 48154-3367.

HAS 8.04 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1999, No. 518, eff. 3-1-99; CR 05-026: am. (1) Register September 2005 No. 597, eff. 10-1-05; CR 11-017: am. (6) Register August 2011 No. 668, eff. 9-1-11.

HAS 8.05 HAS 8.05 Special continuing education requirements.

HAS 8.05(1) (1) If a licensee is required to complete a specified continuing education program or course of study pursuant to s. 459.095 (3) or 459.24 (5m) (a) 3., Stats., the board shall administer an examination on the matter that is the subject of the continuing education program or course of study prior to the date the continuing education program or course of study is offered.

HAS 8.05(2) (2) A licensee who passes the examination administered by the board, as provided under sub. (1), is not required to complete the continuing education hours approved by the board for the specified continuing education program or course of study.

HAS 8.05(3) (3) A licensee who takes the examination specified under sub. (1), shall pay the fee required under s. 440.05 (1) (b), Stats.

HAS 8.05(4) (4) The criteria established under s. HAS 8.04 shall apply to determinations involving the approval of a specified continuing education program or course of study and to the approval of sponsors and cosponsors of a specified continuing education program or course of study.

HAS 8.05 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1999, No. 518, eff. 3-1-99.