Frequently Asked CE Questions

Am I required to have some ethics training as part of my CE credit?

ASHA now requires one hour of ethics training per three-year interval.  ABESPA recommends one hour of ethics training each year for all licensees - view ABESPA's Rules and Regulations.  SHAA offers CE credit in Ethics at the Annual Convention every year.  Ethics topics may also be found online through the Continuing Education Lending Library (CELL).

Please sort out the alphabet soup of "ABESPA," "AAA," and "ASHA."

ABESPA is the Alabama Board of Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology. They grant licenses for SLPs and AUDs in Alabama. See www.abespa.alabama.gov.

AAA is the American Academy of Audiology. They grant certification for AUDs and AUD programs nationwide. See www.Audiology.org.

ASHA is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. They grant certification for AUDs and SLPs and AUD/SLP academic programs nationwide. See www.ASHA.org.

Is SHAA related to those licensing organizations?  If so, how?

Only indirectly. SHAA does not grant any licensure or certification.  We are a service organization dedicated to helping to promote the study of communication sciences and disorders, improve the quality of therapeutic treatment of such disorders, and promote the interests of the members of SHAA. 

However, SHAA enjoys a good relationship with ABESPA. We handle the ABESPA elections and host one of the monthly ABESPA meetings during our annual convention.  ABESPA generously contributed to SHAA to help maintain CELL and to help fund the annual convention.

Also, SHAA is an ASHA CE provider, which means that SHAA is able to offer professional development activities, such as our annual convention, for ASHA CEUs.  SHAA also secures pre-approval by AAA and ABESPA for our convention.

Do I have to pay ASHA in order for my CE credits to count toward my certification? 

No, you only pay a fee to ASHA if you want to make use of their optional CE Registry service or if you want your CE credits to count toward ASHA's ACE award. 

Any and all sessions listed on SHAA's CE page will count for ASHA certification maintenance. When you receive an attendance certificate, you can submit the info to ASHA in a list of your CE activities at the time appointed by ASHA. 

If you would like ASHA to keep track of your hours for you through the CE Registry, you fill out the necessary paperwork (for the SHAA convention, complete an online form following the convention), and the CE units can then count toward ASHA's ACE award. For this privilege and for the convenience and security of ASHA tracking your CE hours for you, ASHA charges about $30/year.  Remember that this fee is optional, and that you can choose to track your own hours.  For more information, go to ASHA's CE Registry information page. 

How can I receive AAA (American Academy of Audiology) CE credit?

The SHAA Convention offers AAA CEUs, but most other events listed on the SHAA website do not. When you register for the SHAA Convention, you can identify yourself as wanting AAA credit. More information about the AAA CE Registry can be found on their website.

I am one of the presenters. Does my time count for CE credit?

Maybe. IF this is the FIRST time you have ever presented this material, you may count the time of the presentation, the same as any other participant.

Can I receive ASHA CEU credit for attending only part of a lecture?

Yes. For example, if you attend only 60 minutes of a 75-minute presentation, you can count all 60 minutes, or 0.10 ASHA CEUs. Of course, for the best learning to take place, try to stay for the whole thing -- the practical application of material often occurs toward the end of a session.

Count only the time you actually spend learning in a session, adjusting according if you arrive late or leave early, answer cell phone calls, make a trip to the restroom (not at a scheduled break), etc.

Note that SHAA's new system of electronic reporting to ASHA may not allow you to report partial session attendance to the ASHA CE Registry.

How are ASHA CEUs calculated when I attend several segments for various lengths of time?

The sum of minutes attended from all presentations/lectures at a given conference or CE event is used to determine your CEU credit. So, if you attend two 30-minute sessions for a total of 60 minutes, you can still receive the 0.10 ASHA CEU. (This concept applies to ABESPA Continuing Education Hours, also.)

Beware! ASHA CEUs are ROUNDED DOWN to the nearest 30 minutes. So, if you attend for only 55 minutes, you receive 0.05 ASHA CEUs. If you attend for only a total of 25 minutes, you receive no ASHA CEUs. If you attend for 115 minutes, you receive 0.15 ASHA CEU.

How do I do the math to calculate my hours?

As for the math, AAA, ASHA, and ABESPA all calculate time on a 60-minute hour. However, AAA and ASHA move the decimal point and round down in 1/2-hour increments, while ABESPA does not move the decimal point.

So, 31-60 minutes = 0.10 AAA CEU = 0.10 ASHA CEU = 1.0 ABESPA CEH ("Continuing Education Hour")

And, 61-90 minutes = 0.15 AAA CEU = 0.15 ASHA CEU = 1.5 ABESPA CEH.

Because of these differences, SHAA tracks CE time in minutes which can then be converted to the desired unit.

Why are the number of ASHA CEUs different from the number of ABESPA and AAA CEUs?

AAA and ASHA and ABESPA are independent organizations with distinct missions and purposes.

There is no CEU requirement to maintain Academy membership. AAA only accepts events which meet ABA requirements.

ASHA requires 3.00 CEUs (30 hours) over a three-year period (based on your initial certification anniversary) in order to maintain certification.

ABESPA requires 12 CEH per calendar year to maintain licensure. ABESPA is stricter than ASHA about the content they approve toward licensure requirements.

What do I do if a session ends early or runs long?

From an attendee: "We should be allowed to put the full minutes promised – we need hours, and [the situation] is out of our control."

(Insert lecture on professional ethics here...) You can only count instructional time. If the presenter quits early for whatever reason – illness, lack of preparation, failure to fill the time with adequate material and activities – you can still only claim the actual instruction time. If you write down 15 more minutes than you actually attend, you are violating basic professional ethics, the same as if you bill for a 45-minute session when you only treat the client for 30.

By the same token, if a participant arrives late, takes an unscheduled break (for restroom, cell phone, to run out to the car... whatever), leaves early, etc., that time must be deducted, and only the actual learning time can be reported.

Note that in a convention setting, if your session ends (for example, 20 minutes early), you can go into another session for the remaining 20 minutes. It is the certificant's/licensee's responsibility to attend an adequate amount of professional development activities.

When discussing ASHA CEUs, the time mentioned on promotional materials is a maximum number of minutes. Even if the speaker goes long, the total number of minutes (for the entire event) cannot exceed the number of CEUs mentioned in the promotional paragraph (with the ASHA CE logo).

Is there only one learner assessment for the entire activity?

Yes, usually. The SHAA Convention, like the ASHA Convention, uses a single assessment for the entire mulit-day event. The learner assessment must be completed when requesting AAA or ASHA CEUs.

We want to sponsor a continuing ed event. What options do we have for making sure SLPs and AUDs can count it toward license renewal and for maintaining certification?

SLPs and AUDs usually care about one (or both) of the following two entities: ABESPA (their state licensing board) and ASHA (for national certification). Both entities require continuing ed, but with different rules and expectations. As far as CE approval, you have three options: 

1. You can request pre-approval for your event from ABESPA, by submitting the form from their web site: http://www.abespa.alabama.gov. Submit the form to ABESPA, not to SHAA. Their pre-approval process is a free service, but must be done in time for the board to meet to review it. (They meet every second Friday of the month, except in March.) If ABESPA approves it, you know that it will automatically count for both licensure and certification.

2. You can also seek to classify the event as "ASHA CEUs", and this is a service SHAA can provide. There are benefits in terms of SLPs knowing that ASHA has approved the event, and they can have the CE time count toward the ACE award from ASHA, and they can choose to have ASHA track their hours. If you choose this option, SHAA needs specific, measurable learning objectives, a time-ordered agenda, a copy of any publicity materials, etc. Fees, all requirements, an explanation of the process, and an application form can be found at www.alabamashaa.org > CEUs > Offer ASHA CEUs.

Both of the actions above are optional.

3. You can simply conduct the event and pass out attendance certificates, and each participant can track his/her own CE hours, submitting the information about the conference to ABESPA and ASHA themselves.

I attended an event which was not offered for ASHA CEUs. Will my time still count for maintaining my ASHA CEs?

Yes, assuming the content is appropriate for professional development. A participant may submit courses and hours individually (whether or not s/he chooses to use the ASHA CE Registry). Any time during the participant's 3-year ASHA maintenance window, s/he may report to ASHA that the required 30 hours have been accrued. Here is a link to ASHA's Compliance Form.   Only in case of audit would proof of attendance and course details be required.