1. (a) An individual shall not practice as an intern in audiology without a current license issued by the department. An applicant for the intern in audiology license shall meet the requirements set out in the Act and this section.
2. (b) Education. The doctoral degree in audiology or a related hearing science shall be completed at a college or university that 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.).
3. (c) An applicant who graduated from a college or university program not 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.) shall have the ASHA Council for Clinical Certification evaluate the course work to determine whether the applicant qualified for the Certificate of Clinical Competence. The applicant shall bear all expenses incurred during the procedure.
4. (d) The applicant shall submit the department prescribed form signed by the university program director or designee verifying the applicant is enrolled in a professionally recognized accredited doctoral program as approved by the department.

5. (e) Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision. The department prescribed Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision for an Intern in Audiology Form shall be completed and signed in a manner prescribed by the department by both the applicant and the licensed audiologist who agrees to assume responsibility for all services provided by the intern in audiology. The proposed department-approved supervisor shall: hold a valid Texas license in audiology; possess a master's degree or higher with a major in one of the areas of communicative sciences or disorders, if the supervisor applied for the audiology license before September 1, 2011, or possess a doctoral degree or higher in audiology or a related hearing science, if the supervisor applied for the audiology license on or after September 1, 2011; and meet the requirements set out in the Act and §111.154.

   1. (1) Written approval from the department shall be required prior to practice by the intern in audiology. The Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision of An Intern in Audiology Form shall be submitted upon:

      1. (A) application for a license;
      2. (B) license renewal;
      3. (C) changes in supervision; and/or
      4. (D) addition of other proposed department-approved supervisors.
   2. (2) In the event more than one licensed audiologist agrees to supervise the intern in audiology, the department-approved supervisor shall be identified and separate forms shall be submitted by each department-approved supervisor.
   3. (3) In the event the department-approved supervisor ceases supervision of the intern, the intern in audiology shall stop practicing immediately until a new supervisor is approved by the department.
   4. (4) Should the intern in audiology practice without approval from the department, disciplinary action shall be initiated against the intern. If the department-approved supervisor had knowledge of this violation, disciplinary action against the department-approved supervisor shall also be initiated.

6. (f) Internship Requirements. The internship shall:

   1. (1) consist of 1,600 hours of supervised clinical work as defined in paragraph (2). The internship shall begin after completion of all academic course work; and
   2. (2) 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.

7. (g) Changes. Prior to implementing changes in the internship, written approval from the department is required.

   1. (1) If the intern in audiology changes his or her department-approved supervisor or adds additional department-approved supervisors, a current Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision of An Intern in Audiology Form shall be submitted by the new proposed supervisor and approved by the department before the intern in audiology may resume practice. A Report of Completed Internship of An Intern in Audiology Form shall be completed by the previous department-approved supervisor and the intern in audiology 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 meets the department's requirements. The department shall review the form and inform the intern in audiology of the results.
   2. (2) A department-approved supervisor who ceases supervising an intern in audiology shall submit a Report of Completed Internship of An Intern in Audiology Form or information for the portion of the internship completed under his or her supervision. This must be submitted within 30 days of the date the supervision ended.
   3. (3) If the intern in audiology 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 submit a signed statement or submit in a manner prescribed by the department giving the name, address and phone number of the new location. This must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the date the change occurred.
   4. (4) In any professional context the licensee must indicate the licensee's status as an intern in audiology.
8. (h) The intern in audiology may continue to practice under supervision if he or she holds a valid intern in audiology license while awaiting the processing of the audiology license. If the intern in audiology changes department-approved supervisors, the new department-approved supervisor shall first submit the Intern Plan and Agreement of Supervision of An Intern in Audiology Form or information and receive department approval before the intern in audiology may resume practice.
9. (i) 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 §111.80 adopted to be effective October 1, 2016, 41 TexReg 4441.