Professional Development. Continuing Education. Whatever we call it, we should not think of it simply as hours we must rack up to keep our license current and our certification maintained. It is our professional responsibility to ourselves, our profession, and the clients we serve. ASHA’s Code of Ethics Principle II states that we must “engage in lifelong learning to maintain and enhance professional competence and performance.” Professional development is the means by which we expand the depth and breadth of our expertise and keep abreast of the rapidly expanding body of knowledge related to our field. It is absolutely essential in order to provide the highest quality services to our clients.
As most of you know, ASHA requires 30 contact hours of professional development – called certification maintenance hours (CMH) - every 3 years to maintain your CCC. There are many types of learning activities that will satisfy the CMH requirement. These include, but are not limited to, courses offered for ASHA CEUs by ASHA-approved providers such as SpeechPathology.com. 0.1CEU is equivalent to 1 contact hour or 1 CMH, and 30 CMH is equivalent to 3.0 CEU. ASHA CEUs can only be earned by joining the ASHA Registry and having your courses reported to the Registry by the approved provider. If you are not a Registry member, your hours are called simply CMH rather than ASHA CEUs, and you will need to maintain your own records of activities completed.
After completing your 30 CMH, non-Registry members will need to submit the ASHA Compliance Form on or before December 31 of the third year of your maintenance interval. (Registry members need not submit this form.) Supporting documentation to verify CMH completion is not necessary unless you are later chosen for a random audit.
Continuing education requirements for state licensure vary widely from state to state, and many states have stipulations about the number of hours that can be earned online or via “self study,” about the type of content that is accepted, and about mandatory topics. Familiarize yourself with your state’s regulations regarding licensure renewal requirements, and stay up to date with changes by regularly checking your state board’s website. If ever in doubt about whether a given course will satisfy the requirements, contact your board via email or phone.
A convenient and cost-effective way to earn all of your professional development hours is with a $99 annual membership to SpeechPathology.com. Whether you’re looking to acquire new skills or enhance your existing knowledge, you’re bound to find courses in our library that meet your needs. We further simplify the continuing education process by reporting your courses to ASHA on request, and by providing a course transcript that can be accessed 24/7. This transcript will serve as proof of course completion for nearly any purpose, including ASHA audits or state licensing documentation.
Happy Learning!
Amy Natho, M.S., CCC-SLP
CEU Administrator/Assistant Editor
