September 8, 2016
Gina Ossanna, CCC-SLP
After a summer chock full o' road trips, barbecues, and splash pads, fall is the season for settling in, taking stock, and organizing for the year. Now’s a good time to review your professional development and make sure you have all your hours when your license is due. ASHA requires 30 hours of CEUs every 3 years to maintain certification, but some states require more.
6 tips to keep you organized for earning and tracking CEUs this year (and minimize stress):
- Keep a file of certificates from professional development events that you attend. Or use this free organizer from Jenna at The Speech Room News to keep track of your hours.
- Check with your employer to see what professional development activities they offer. Many of these events are pre-approved through the state board for state licenses.
- If you hold licenses in more than one state, check when each license expires and keep a running tab to make sure you have all the hours you need when you renew.
- ASHA will track your CEU's for you if you attend sessions that are pre-approved by them. There is an extra fee to do this, but it can be nice to know that it is all being taken care of for you.
- Consider attending a two or three-day seminar on a specific topic that is of high interest to you in your practice. This can be an easy way to accumulate a lot of hours in a short period of time and improve your practice at the same time.
- Need some CEU's right away? ASHA's Case Studies program is offering 4 free online courses. But don't put it off for too long - they expire at the end of this month!
Of course, for those of you working for Care Options for Kids, formerly The Hello Foundation, we offer eight hours of free professional development each year approved by the Oregon state board. Next up in November: Dr. Ryan Tobias, clinical psychologist, will present on interpreting psychological testing, and how it might translate to a student's learning style. Can't wait!
