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It is hard to believe that 2007 has come and gone. I keep getting grayer and time marches on. Although 2007 has gone there were many positive things that occurred in 2007 for Audiology, Speech Language Pathology, and ASHA. Despite the many outward signs of ASHA success, such as the move into the new offices, continued membership growth, high member satisfaction, and the many accolades ASHA has received from external sources, there are signs of hard work and outstanding achievement that comes from within ASHA. Of note is the significant work of the Scientific and Professional Education Board (SPEB) and the Continuing Education Board (CEB). The workload of these two groups has steadily grown as the demands for high quality continuing education continues.
In 2007, the CEB celebrated the approval of the 500th ASHA approved Continuing Education provider. It is hard to imagine but 500 approved providers resulted in over 14,000 continuing education opportunities for speech-language pathologists and audiologists in 2007. All of these courses were approved and participants were eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The CEB continuing it's efforts to streamline and make CE activities flexible and obtainable by all, implemented new procedures for applications and the electronic submission of information from CE participants and CE providers. Moreover, 2007 saw the successful introduction of BookTalk as an innovative way for members to obtain CEU's and, at the same time, enjoy an interactive discussion of professional topics with colleagues in the same geographic area or work setting. If you have an interest in starting a BookTalk group or want to find out more about it you can contact Ellen Fagan and her staff at 1-800-498-2071 or access the information at ASHA's BookTalk Web page.
In addition to setting the standards for quality continuing education activities, ASHA, through the work of the Scientific and Professional Education Board (SPEB), offers many continuing education courses directly to the members. Most notable of these offerings is the Annual Convention, which routinely offers over 1500 courses for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Nearly 100 of these courses were strictly related to Audiology while many more offered information in topic areas important to the audiologists and others in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Work is underway to increase Audiology participation in the annual convention. A group of past Audiology convention chair's met in late 2007 to "brainstorm" ways to improve the Audiology convention. The results of that meeting led to very frank discussions amongst the ASHA Executive Board and a strong commitment on their part to support the needs of the Audiology members.
Speaking of strictly for Audiology, the Virtual Audiology Conference was a huge success this year with over 265 registrants of which 165 were certified audiologists. A virtual conference is a very convenient way of obtaining some great information, earning some CEUs, and keeping your time away from work and travel costs to a minimum. There were 12 international participants in the conference who added a nice touch to learning about auditory processing disorders (APD) and how it is treated and diagnosed around the world. One of the conference participants was especially impressed by the international flavor of the conference and felt she had gained a whole new perspective on APDs. This was our second Audiology Virtual Conference and with the success of both I am confident that ASHA Audiology members will continue to enjoy this alternative CE format.
Information on CEU programs and products for audiologists may be found on ASHA's Web site.
ASHA is working hard for the audiologist and all of its members. The work of the CEB and SPEB plays an integral role in serving the needs of ASHA members and 2008 promises to be another great year for ASHA in its role to help develop and offer the continuing education activities needed by audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Have a wonderful 2008 and look for good things to happen for Audiologists and ASHA.
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