1. (a) An individual shall not practice as an intern in speech-language pathology without a current license issued by the department. An applicant for an intern in speech-language pathology license must meet the requirements under the Act and this section.

2. (b) Education. The graduate degree shall be completed at a college or university which has a program accredited by a national accrediting organization that is approved by the department and recognized by the United States Secretary of Education under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. §1001, et seq.).

   1. (1) Original or certified copies of the transcripts showing the conferred degree shall verify the applicant completed the following:

      1. (A) at least thirty-six (36) semester credit hours shall be in professional course work acceptable toward a graduate degree;
      2. (B) at least twenty-four (24) semester credit hours acceptable toward a graduate degree shall be earned in the area of speech-language pathology including normal development and use of speech, language, and hearing; prevention evaluation, habilitation, and rehabilitation of speech, language, and hearing disorders; and related fields that augment the work of clinical practitioners of speech-language pathology; and
      3. (C) for applications filed before January 1, 2015, six semester credit hours shall be earned in the area of hearing disorders, hearing evaluation, and habilitative or rehabilitative procedures with individuals who have a hearing impairment.
   2. (2) A maximum of six academic semester credit hours associated with clinical experience and a maximum of six academic semester credit hours associated with a thesis or dissertation may be counted toward the thirty-six (36) hours but not in lieu of the requirements of paragraphs (1)(B) and (1)(C).
   3. (3) A quarter hour of academic credit shall be considered as two-thirds of a semester credit hour.
   4. (4) An applicant who possesses a master's degree with a major in audiology and is pursuing a license in speech-language pathology may apply if the department has an original transcript showing completion of a master's degree with a major in audiology on file and a letter from the program director or designee of the college or university stating that the individual completed enough hours to establish a graduate level major in speech-language pathology and would meet the academic and clinical experience requirements for a license as a speech-language pathologist.
   5. (5) An applicant who graduated from a college or university not accredited by the ASHA Council on Academic Accreditation shall submit an original signed letter from ASHA stating the Council for Clinical Certification accepted the course work and clinical experience. The applicant shall bear all expenses incurred during the procedure.

3. (c) Clinical Work. An applicant shall complete at least twenty-five (25) clock hours of supervised observation before completing the minimum of the following hours of supervised clinical direct client contact, which may be referred to as clinical practicum, with individuals who present a variety of communication disorders within an educational institution or in one of its cooperating programs:

   1. (1) 275 clock hours if the master's degree was earned prior to November 10, 1993; or
   2. (2) 350 clock hours if the master's degree was earned between November 10, 1993 and December 31, 2004; or
   3. (3) 400 clock hours if the master's degree was earned on or after January 1, 2005.
4. (d) In the event the course work and clinical experience set out in subsections (b) - (c), were earned more than ten (10) years before the date of application for the intern license, the applicant shall submit proof of current knowledge of the practice of speech-language pathology.
5. (e) An applicant who successfully completed all education and clinical requirements under this section, but who has not had the degree officially conferred may be licensed as an intern in order to begin the supervised professional experience but shall submit verification from the program director or designee verifying the applicant has met all academic course work, clinical experience requirements, and completed a thesis or passed a comprehensive examination, if required, and is awaiting the date of next graduation for the degree to be conferred.
6. (f) An applicant whose master's degree is received at a college or university accredited by the ASHA Council on Academic Accreditation will receive automatic approval of the course work and clinical experience if the program director or designee verifies that all requirements have been met and review of the transcript shows that the applicant has successfully completed at least twenty-four (24) semester credit hours acceptable toward a graduate degree in the area of speech-language pathology.

7. (g) Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision. A Speech-Language Pathology Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision Form shall be submitted in a manner prescribed by the department and completed by both the applicant and the licensed speech-language pathologist who agrees to assume responsibility for all services provided by the intern in speech-language pathology. The proposed department-approved supervisor must meet the requirements set out in the Act and §111.154.

   1. (1) Approval from the department shall be required prior to practice by the intern in speech-language pathology. The Speech-Language Pathology Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision Form shall be submitted upon:

      1. (A) application for a license;
      2. (B) license renewal;
      3. (C) changes in supervision; and
      4. (D) the addition of other proposed department-approved supervisors.
   2. (2) In the event more than one licensed speech-language pathologist agrees to supervise the intern in speech-language pathology, each proposed department-approved supervisor must submit a signed Speech-Language Pathology Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision Form which shall also identify all proposed department-approved supervisors.
   3. (3) In the event the department-approved supervisor ceases supervision of the intern in speech-language pathology, the intern shall stop practicing immediately. The department shall hold the department-approved supervisor responsible for the practice of the intern in speech-language pathology until the department-approved supervisor notifies the department, in writing, of the change in supervision.
   4. (4) Should the intern in speech-language pathology practice without approval from the department, disciplinary action may be initiated against the intern in speech-language pathology. If the department-approved supervisor had knowledge of this violation, disciplinary action against the department-approved supervisor may also be initiated.

8. (h) Internship Requirements. The internship shall:

   1. (1) begin within four years after the academic and clinical experience requirements as required by subsections (b) and (c) have been met;
   2. (2) be completed within a maximum period of forty-right (48) months once initiated;
   3. (3) be successfully completed after no more than two attempts;
   4. (4) consist of thirty-six (36) weeks of full-time supervised professional experience (thirty-five (35) hours per week) totaling a minimum of 1,260 hours, or its part-time equivalent, of supervised professional experience in which clinical work has been accomplished in speech-language pathology. Professional experience of less than five hours per week cannot be used to meet the supervised professional experience.
   5. (5) involve primarily clinical activities such as assessment, diagnosis, evaluation, screening, treatment, report writing, family/client consultation, and/or counseling related to the management process of individuals who exhibit communication disabilities;

   6. (6) be divided into three segments with no fewer than thirty-six (36) clock hours of supervisory activities to include:

      1. (A) six hours of in person observations per segment by the department-approved supervisor(s) of the intern's direct client contact at the worksite in which the intern provides screening, evaluation, assessment, habilitation, and rehabilitation; and
      2. (B) six hours of other monitoring activities per segment with the department-approved supervisor(s) which may include correspondence, review of videotapes, evaluation of written reports, phone conferences with the intern, evaluations by professional colleagues; or
      3. (C) an alternative plan as approved by the department.

9. (i) Extension Request. An applicant who does not meet the time frames defined in subsection (h)(1) and (2), shall request an extension, in writing, explaining the reason for the request. The request must be signed by both the intern and the department-approved supervisor in a manner prescribed by the department. Evaluation of the intern's progress of performance from all department-approved supervisors must accompany the request. Intern plans and supervisory evaluations for any completed segments must be submitted in a manner prescribed by the department. The department shall determine if the internship:

   1. (1) should be revised or extended; and
   2. (2) whether additional course work, continuing professional education hours, or passing the examination referenced in §111.21 is required.
10. (j) An intern, who is employed full-time as defined by subsection (h)(4), and wishes to practice at an additional site, shall notify the department in a manner prescribed by the department.
11. (k) Evaluations. During each segment of the internship, each department-approved supervisor shall conduct a formal evaluation of the intern's progress in the development of professional skills. Documentation of this evaluation shall be maintained by both parties for three years or until the speech-language pathology license is granted. A copy of this documentation shall be submitted to the department upon request.

12. (l) Changes. Prior to implementing changes in the internship, approval from the department is required.

    1. (1) If the intern changes his or her department-approved supervisor or adds additional department-approved supervisors, a current Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision Form shall be submitted by the new proposed department-approved supervisor and approved by the department before the intern may resume practice. The Report of Completed Internship Form or information shall be completed by the past department-approved supervisor and intern and submitted to the department upon completion of that portion of the internship. It is the decision of the department-approved supervisor to determine whether the internship is acceptable. The department shall review the form and inform the intern of the results.
    2. (2) Each department-approved supervisor who ceases supervising an intern shall submit a Report of Completed Internship Form for the portion of the internship completed under the department-approved supervisor's supervision. This must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the date the supervision ended.
    3. (3) If the intern changes his or her employer but the department-approved supervisor and the number of hours employed per week remain the same, the department-approved supervisor shall notify the department in a manner prescribed by the department of the new location. This must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the date the change occurred.
13. (m) In any professional context the licensee must indicate the licensee's status as a speech-language pathology intern.

14. (n) If the intern wishes to continue to practice after the completion of the supervised professional experience as defined in subsection (h), the intern shall apply for either:

    1. (1) a speech-language pathology license under Subchapter D, if the intern passed the examination referenced in §111.21; or
    2. (2) a temporary certificate of registration under Subchapter G if the intern has not passed the examination referenced in §111.21.
15. (o) If the intern holds a valid license, the intern may continue to practice under supervision for up to thirty (30) days after the department receives the Report of Completed Internship Form.
16. (p) A licensed intern shall not use "SLP-CFY" or "SLP-CF" as indicators for their credentials. Licensees shall use "Intern SLP" or "SLP Intern" to shorten their professional title.
17. (q) Notwithstanding the supervision provisions in this section, the department may establish procedures, processes, and mechanisms for the monitoring and reporting of the supervision requirements.

Source Note:The provisions of this §111.40 adopted to be effective October 1, 2016, 41 TexReg 4441.