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Are you unsure if you've accumulated 30 hours of professional development during your 3-year maintenance interval? Many certificate holders believe they have not met the certification maintenance requirement because they haven't earned enough ASHA CEUs. ASHA CEUs are not required for maintaining your CCC-A or CCC-SLP, and they are not the only professional development activities that will earn you Certification Maintenance Hours (CMH). You may also use employer-sponsored in-service activities, other organizations’ professional development activities, and college/university course work, such as:
In-service Activities
- Activities in which you participate on professional days;
- Workshops and seminars presented at your work setting;
- At your practice, an equipment manufacturer trains you for 3 hours how to use a new piece of equipment, or provides a brush-up session on equipment usage and maintenance;
- Subject matter experts present information at your practice on acoustics during a 2-hour workshop;
- Journal study groups;
- Grand rounds.
Other Organizations' Activities
- Activities offered by related professional associations (teacher, PT, OT, etc.);
- Activities offered for AAA-approved CEUs;
- Activities offered by your state association;
- College or university coursework.
We've compiled examples of accepted professional development activities to help you determine which of the activities you participated in will count toward your certification maintenance requirement. Then use the checklist below to determine the number of CMHs you have accumulated during your maintenance interval. If after reading this you're still unsure about the acceptability of your activities, please contact your certification case manager at 800-498-4071.
Finally, if you believe you have not met the professional development requirement because of extenuating circumstances and would like to request an extension or waiver, you may request further consideration from ASHA's Council for Clinical Certification (CFCC).
Certification Maintenance Hours Checklist
The following checklist will help you determine the number of CMHs you have accumulated through ASHA and non-ASHA professional development activities.
- Determine the number, if any, of ASHA CEUs you have in your CE Registry.
- Determine the number hours spent on non-ASHA professional development activities by reviewing the examples above and reading further information on accepted professional development activities. The CFCC recommends that certificate holders think back over their 3-year maintenance intervals to list these non-ASHA continuing education activities, and ask you to remember that if you’re audited you’ll need to provide documentation of the hours you spent in these activities.
- Look at the activities you reported to your state regulatory body. Did you meet your state licensure or board of education continuing education requirements? Did you meet the requirements for reimbursement from third-party insurance payers? If so, more than likely you can meet the ASHA certification maintenance requirement using the same activities you reported to your state regulatory body.
- Add the hours together from #1, 2, and 3. Have you reached 30 hours? If yes, complete your Compliance Form [PDF] and submit it by April 1 following the end of your maintenance interval. If no, you may contact your case manager to discuss your situation, or you may request further consideration from the CFCC.
Further Consideration
If after reviewing the professional development activities you participated in during your maintenance interval you have not accumulated 30 Certification Maintenance Hours, and you believe you were unable to meet this requirement due to extenuating circumstances, you may request further consideration from the Council For Clinical Certification by submitting a written appeal.
Your request must contain the following information:
- Your name, ASHA ID number, area of certification, and certification maintenance interval date.
- Indicate if you are asking for an extension or a waiver.
- A thorough explanation of the extenuating circumstances that prevented you from accumulating 30 hours of professional development during your maintenance interval.
- A description of the good-faith actions you have taken during the maintenance interval to try to accumulate the required hours of professional development.
- Your plan to accomplish the required hours and the timeframe in which your plan will be completed if your request for extension is approved by the CFCC.
Submit Your Request
You may submit your requests in writing via letter, fax, or e-mail to:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #313
Rockville, MD 20850
Fax: 301-296-8569
E-mail: certification@asha.org
ASHA Resources and Key Contacts
ASHA's Web site includes Fact Sheets and forms as well as other useful information about certification maintenance. If you have questions, please contact the Certification Administration Unit at certification@asha.org.
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