Course Provider Guidelines

Continuing Education Course Provider Guidelines

The Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau developed the following guidelines to assist providers in completing the Continuing Education Course Approval Application. California licensed hearing aid dispensers are required to complete 9 hours of continuing education (CE) hours per calendar year. Licensees may not "bank" or save CE credit for future renewals. Please refer to Article 7, Section 1399.140 et. seq. of the regulations regarding continuing education.

Application and Fee

The Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau must receive a completed Continuing Education Course Approval Application and $50.00 non-refundable fee at least 45 days prior to the date of the first offering of the program. An application and $50.00 fee is required for each course of a program if the courses are not directly related. The omission of any of the information requested on the application may delay the approval process.

Location

Courses may be offered in any location.

A course may be approved pending receipt of the exact location for the program. It is important that the provider submit this information as soon as it is available so the course can be included on the approved CE list.

Educational Objectives

Goals and objectives are to be listed on the provider application. The Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau needs to know the breadth and depth of the presentation for an adequate evaluation.

Description of course content

A detailed outline of the course should accompany the provider application. The outline should include one-paragraph descriptions for each topic to be presented, specific times for each section of the course, and the instructor/presenter for each segment of the course.

Sketchy outlines submitted without adequate course descriptions will be rejected as incomplete.

Dispensers must obtain a minimum of six (6) of the nine (9) hours from courses consisting of current practices related to the fitting of hearing aids for aiding or compensating for impaired human hearing. A maximum of three (3) of the nine (9) hours may be obtained from courses in ethics and/or business practicess.¹

Per Section 1399.141 of the Regulations Relating to the Practice of Hearing Aid Dispensing, course content must be related to current practices related to the fitting of hearing aids for aiding or compensating for impaired human hearing or ethics (including the ethics of advertising and marketing) or business practices and must be at a level above the basic knowledge required for licensure.

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¹ Licensees will not receive more than three (3) hours of continuing education credit annually for ethics or business practices courses.

Video Courses

Video course submissions are subject to all current regulations, policies, and procedures. Each course proposal must include a designated person to be responsible for attendance records at each location. Licensees will receive CE credit only when attending the approved date(s) and location(s).

Required Information

Please include the speaker's name; the topic to be presented; the format; and the number of hours. (Example: Mr. John Kuo, "Hearing Aid Evaluation Procedures", lecture and demonstration, 1-1/2 hours.)

Instructors

A resume or vitae is required for each speaker. Although a speaker may have been approved in the past, all speakers are not qualified by training or experience to speak on all topics. A paragraph or two describing the qualifications, training and experience of the instructor to address the specific subject at hand is useful.

The speaker may receive credit for presenting an approved course. Credit for presenting a particular course will be granted only once during a three-year period. To do so, the speaker's name and hearing aid dispenser license number must be included on the attendance list.

Evaluation Method

The course evaluation form must be included in the application packet. The participants should also evaluate the program speaker(s). A simple rating form is satisfactory.

Record of Attendance

Regulations require the provider to maintain a record of attendance for each participant who is licensed as a hearing aid dispenser. Providers should designate a person responsible for maintaining the attendance records. A sign-in/sign-out sheet or card must be used to verify attendance of course hours. Participants should sign-in again after a lunch break and sign-out at the completion of the course.

Certificates

Providers are encouraged to issue certificates of completion to participants who have successfully completed their program. This enables hearing aid dispensers to better monitor their CE hours. In addition, when a licensee is audited, or asked to produce evidence of CE completion at license renewal, a copy of the certificate can be submitted as verification.

Changes

Any deviation from the approved application must be submitted to the Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau office for review in writing prior to the course offering. This includes changes in course content and/or instructor, dates, times, and locations.

Repetition of Course

Approved non-video courses may be offered any number of times within the calendar year, providing that the same speakers and topics are used. Additional dates and locations must be submitted to the Bureau in writing.

Program Monitor

A program monitor may be assigned to evaluate an approved CE course. The monitor may be a hearing aid dispenser asked to represent the Hearing Aid Dispenses Bureau. All program registration fees are waived for official monitors if they are NOT receiving CE credit. Monitors may not receive CE credit for attending the course unless they choose to pay their own registration fees. The provider, not the program monitor, is responsible for keeping attendance. The provider may write the Bureau for a copy of the monitor's course evaluation report