(1) Licensees must obtain the following continuing education (CE) hours annually, prior to renewal:

(a) ten hours for speech-language pathology or audiology;

(b) 15 hours for dual licensure in speech-language pathology and audiology, with at least five hours each in speech-language pathology and audiology; or

(2) Continuing education requirements do not apply until a licensee's first full year of licensure.

(3) Board/staff will not preapprove CE programs or sponsors. Licensees must select quality programs that:

(a) contribute to professional knowledge and competence;

(b) contain significant intellectual or practical content; and

(4) All licensees shall affirm an understanding of their recurring duty to comply with CE requirements as part of annual license renewal.

(5) Licensees must maintain CE documentation and make the documentation available upon request. Documentation must include:

(a) licensee name;

(b) presenter or sponsor;

(d) course completion date(s); and

(e) number of CE hours earned.

(6) Licensees found to be in noncompliance with CE requirements may be subject to administrative suspension. Licensees may not apply CE hours used to complete delinquent CE requirements for the next education reporting period.

(7) Any CE hours required by disciplinary order do not apply toward hours required annually.

(8) The department, with respect to any CE audit it performs, shall determine the percentage to audit based on a statistically relevant sampling of the total number of licensees and the compliance rate of past audits.

History: 37-1-131, 37-1-319, MCA; IMP, 37-1-131, 37-1-306, MCA; NEW, 2023 MAR p. 1751, Eff. 12/9/23.