§2651. Definitions

            As used in this Chapter:

            (1) "Audiologist" means any person who represents himself to the public by title or description of services, methods, or procedures as one who offers to provide or provides services involving the application of principles, methods, and procedures of the science and profession of audiology. An audiologist, by definition of scope of practice, may sell and dispense hearing aids under these provisions.

            (2) "Board" means the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

            (3) "Licensed audiologist" means an individual who meets the qualifications for licensure as an audiologist under R.S. 37:2659(A) and who holds a current, unsuspended, and unrevoked license issued by the board. Unless otherwise specified, "licensed audiologist" shall not mean a person who has a provisional or restricted license issued under this Chapter.

            (4) "Licensed speech-language pathologist" means an individual who meets the qualifications for licensure as a speech -language pathologist under R.S. 37:2659(A) and who holds a current, unsuspended, and unrevoked license issued by the board. Unless otherwise specified, "licensed speech-language pathologist" shall not mean a person who has a provisional or restricted license issued under this Chapter.

            (5) "Licensed speech-language pathology assistant" means an individual who meets the qualifications for licensure as a speech-language pathology assistant provided in R.S. 37:2659(D), holds a current, unsuspended, and unrevoked license issued by the board, works under the direct supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist in accordance with standards promulgated by the board, and performs only those duties specified in the rules and regulations established by the board.

            (6) "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity, except that only an individual shall be eligible for license or be issued a license under this Chapter.

            (7)(a) "Practice of audiology" means providing, or offering to provide, to individuals or groups of individuals who have, or are suspected of having, disorders of the auditory system, any service in audiology, including prevention, identification, evaluation, interpretation, counseling, consultation, habilitation, rehabilitation, instruction, supervision, and research. The practice of audiology shall also include audiology services for disorders of the vestibular system upon referral of a physician. An audiologist may engage in any task, procedure, act, or practice that is necessary:

            (i) For the evaluation of hearing and the monitoring of neural functioning.

            (ii) For training in the use of amplification, including hearing aids and assistive listening devices.

            (iii) For the making of earmolds.

            (iv) For the fitting, dispensing, and selling of hearing aids.

            (b) An individual who meets the requirements of this Chapter for licensure as an audiologist and who engages in the fitting and selling of hearing aids shall:

            (i) Register with the board his intent to fit and dispense hearing aids.

            (ii) Comply with federal Food and Drug Administration guidelines required for fitting and dispensing hearing aids.

            (iii) Follow guidelines adopted by the board for a thirty-day trial period on hearing aids dispensed.

            (iv) Comply with pre-purchase evaluation guidelines adopted by the board.

            (v) Provide documentation of completion of at least thirty semester credit hours of professional coursework, twenty-one hours of which shall be in audiology. A minimum of six semester credit hours shall be in specific areas in amplification, including:

            (aa) Physical and electroacoustic characteristics of hearing aids and other assistive amplification devices.

            (bb) Earmold and in-the-ear hearing aid acoustics, materials, types, tubing, impressions techniques, and modifications.

            (cc) Room acoustics, including the effects of noise on speech intelligibility, environmental modifications, and interaction with amplification devices.

            (dd) Principles and methods of evaluation, including determination of need for and characteristics of appropriate amplification using case history, self-assessment inventories, and audiological assessment data.

            (ee) Selection procedures and protocols, such as traditional and contemporary evaluations, prescriptive fittings, real ear measurements, and programmable hearing aids.

            (ff) Rationale for selection of various hearing aid characteristics and types of fittings.

            (gg) Procedural modifications for special populations, such as pediatric, geriatric, developmentally disabled, and physically disabled.

            (hh) Rehabilitative procedures, such as hearing aid orientation, counseling of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families, speechreading, and auditory training.

            (ii) Business management and marketing strategies.

            (jj) Professional aspects of hearing aid services, such as recordkeeping and documentation, risk management, quality assurance, professional liability, equipment selection, and reimbursement systems.

            (vi) Provide documentation of a minimum of three hundred fifty supervised clock hours of clinical practicum obtained during graduate training with at least eighty of those hours obtained in the evaluation, selection, and use of appropriate amplification systems and their related components, including:

            (aa) Making, fitting, and acoustic modification of earmolds.

            (bb) Electroacoustic tests of amplification systems.

            (cc) Maintenance of amplification systems, earmolds, and assistive devices.

            (vii) Complete nine months of postgraduate professional experience, begun after completion of the academic and clinical experiences, under the supervision of a licensed dispensing audiologist.

            (c) Any audiologist licensed to dispense hearing aids on or prior to the effective date of this Act may continue to dispense, provided he meets the guidelines for license renewal.

            (d) Any audiologist who comes to this state from a state with similar dispensing qualifications as provided in this Chapter may apply to the board for reciprocity and thereafter meet the guidelines for license renewal.

            (e) All dispensing audiologists shall affix an annual registration seal to the displayed audiology license.

            (f) An individual who meets the qualifications for licensure as an audiologist but lacks the coursework and practicum requirement necessary for registration as a dispenser of hearing aids may fulfill these requirements by:

            (i) Completing nine months of postgraduate professional experience under the supervision of a licensed dispensing audiologist in the performance of such duties as specified in the rules and regulations adopted by the board.

            (ii) Proof of the successful completion of a study course by the National Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies, or its equivalent, as defined in the rules and regulations adopted by the board.

            (g) The practice of audiology may include speech and language screening, limited to a pass/fail determination for the purpose of identifying and referring individuals suspected of having disorders of communication.

            (8) "Practice of speech-language pathology" means providing, or offering to provide, to individuals or groups of individuals who have or are suspected of having disorders of communication, including speech, voice, language, or cognitive processes and disorders of oral-pharyngeal function, including dysphagia, any service in speech-language pathology including prevention, identification, evaluation, interpretation, counseling, consultation, habilitation, rehabilitation, instruction, supervision, and research. The practice of speech-language pathology may include performing a hearing screening limited to a pass/fail determination for the purpose of identifying or referring individuals suspected of having disorders of hearing.

            (9) "Provisional license" means a license issued by the board to an individual who meets the qualifications for provisional licensure established under R.S. 37:2659(B) and is practicing speech-language pathology or audiology while completing the postgraduate professional experience or examination as required by this Chapter. The provisional license holder may perform the practice of speech-language pathology or audiology only while under the supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist or audiologist in accordance with standards promulgated by the board.

            (10) "Provisional speech-language pathology assistant license" means a license issued by the board to an individual who meets the qualifications for provisional licensure established in R.S. 37:2659(E), and works under the direct supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist in accordance with standards promulgated by the board and performs only those duties specified in the rules and regulations established by the board.

            (11) "Restricted license" means a license issued to an individual who is certified by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as a speech, hearing, and language specialist or the equivalent as defined by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or as defined in R.S. 37:2659(C), wherein, the holder is authorized to perform the practice of speech-language pathology only while under the direct supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist, in accordance with standards promulgated by the board.

            (12) "Speech-language pathologist" means any person who represents himself to the public by title or by description of services, methods, or procedures as one who offers to provide or provides services involving the application of principles, methods, and procedures of the science and profession of speech-language pathology.

            Added by Acts 1972, No. 260, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1973. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 384, §1, eff. July 1, 1979; Acts 1995, No. 892, §2; Acts 2017, No. 146, §7.