102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB2085

 

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Cristina Castro

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
225 ILCS 110/8.9 new
225 ILCS 110/8.10 new
225 ILCS 110/8.11 new
225 ILCS 110/8.12 new

    Amends the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. Provides for licensure of audiology assistants, including qualifications for licensure, minimum requirements for audiology assistant programs, the scope of responsibility of audiology assistants, and requirements for supervision of audiology assistants.


LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2085LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and
5Audiology Practice Act is amended by adding Sections 8.9,
68.10, 8.11, and 8.12 as follows:
 
7    (225 ILCS 110/8.9 new)
8    Sec. 8.9. Qualifications for licensure as an audiology
9assistant. A person is qualified to be licensed as an
10audiology assistant if that person has applied in writing or
11electronically on forms prescribed by the Department, has paid
12the required fees, and meets the following criteria:
13        (1) Is of good moral character. In determining moral
14    character, the Department may take into consideration any
15    felony conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere of
16    the applicant, but such a conviction or plea shall not
17    operate automatically as a complete bar to licensure.
18        (2) Is at least 18 years of age.
19        (3) Has received: (A) an associate degree from an
20    audiology assistant program that has been approved by the
21    Department and that meets the minimum requirements set
22    forth in Section 8.10; (B) a bachelor's degree and has
23    completed course work from an accredited college or

 

 

SB2085- 2 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1    university that meets the minimum requirements set forth
2    in Section 8.10; (C) certification as an assistant through
3    the American Speech Language Hearing Association; or (D) a
4    license from the State of Illinois as a hearing instrument
5    dispenser.
 
6    (225 ILCS 110/8.10 new)
7    Sec. 8.10. Minimum requirements for audiology assistant
8programs.
9    (a) An applicant for licensure as an audiology assistant
10with an associate's degree must have earned 60 semester credit
11hours in a program of study that includes general education
12and the specific knowledge and skills for an audiology
13assistant. The curriculum of an audiology assistant program
14must include the following content, as further provided by
15rule adopted by the Department:
16        (1) Three semester hours of anatomy and physiology of
17    the hearing mechanism, 3 semester hours of hearing
18    science, 3 semester hours of introduction to audiology,
19    and 3 semester hours of aural rehabilitation from an
20    accredited institution of higher education that is
21    recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or that
22    meets the U.S. Department of Education equivalency as
23    determined through a National Association of Credential
24    Evaluation Services member.
25        (2) Completion of at least 100 hours of supervised

 

 

SB2085- 3 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1    field work experiences supervised by a licensed
2    audiologist at least 50% of the time when the student is
3    engaged in contact with the patient or client. An
4    applicant must obtain written verification demonstrating
5    successful completion of the required field work
6    experience, including a description of the setting in
7    which the training was received and an assessment of the
8    student's technical proficiency.
9    (b) An applicant for licensure as an audiology assistant
10who holds certification through the American Speech Language
11Hearing Association must meet requirements set forth by that
12Association. Certification with the American Speech Language
13Hearing Association must be issued and in good standing at the
14time of application for an audiology assistant license.
15    (c) The Department may adopt rules that change the
16curriculum requirements of subsection (a) in order to reflect
17the guidelines for audiology assistant programs recommended by
18the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
19    (d) Any applicant for licensure as an audiology assistant
20who applies to the Department before the effective date of
21this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly or any
22person who holds a valid license as an audiology assistant on
23the effective date of this amendatory Act shall not be
24required to meet the new minimum requirements for an audiology
25assistant program under subsection (a) of this Section.
 

 

 

SB2085- 4 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1    (225 ILCS 110/8.11 new)
2    Sec. 8.11. Scope of responsibility of audiology
3assistants.
4    (a) The scope of responsibility of audiology assistants is
5limited to supplementing the role of an audiologist in
6implementing the treatment program established by the
7audiologist. The functions and duties of an audiology
8assistant are:
9        (1) scheduling patients;
10        (2) packaging and mailing earmold orders, device
11    repairs, and manufacturer and lab returns;
12        (3) maintaining inventories of supplies and checking
13    function of equipment;
14        (4) performing checks on hearing aids and other
15    amplification devices;
16        (5) performing troubleshooting and minor repairs to
17    hearing aids, earmolds, and other amplification devices;
18        (6) cleaning hearing aids and other amplification
19    devices;
20        (7) performing electroacoustic analysis of hearing
21    aids and other amplification devices;
22        (8) instructing patients in proper use and care of
23    hearing aids and other amplification devices;
24        (9) demonstrating alerting and assistive listening
25    devices;
26        (10) instructing patients in proper ear hygiene;

 

 

SB2085- 5 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1        (11) assisting audiologists in treatment programs;
2        (12) assisting audiologists with setup and technical
3    tasks;
4        (13) preparing materials for ear impressions;
5        (14) maintaining and restocking test and treatment
6    rooms;
7        (15) performing equipment maintenance and biological
8    checks;
9        (16) conducting hearing and tympanometric screening on
10    older children and adults (without interpretation);
11        (17) conducting otoacoustic emission screening;
12        (18) performing nondiagnostic otoscopy;
13        (19) performing pure-tone audiologic reassessment on
14    established patients;
15        (20) preparing the patient for VNG/ENG or evoked
16    testing;
17        (21) assisting audiologists in hearing testing of
18    pediatric patients;
19        (22) performing pure-tone hearing screening and
20    universal newborn hearing screening tests;
21        (23) performing infection control duties within the
22    clinic or service;
23        (24) assisting patients in completing case history or
24    other relevant forms;
25        (25) interacting with hearing instrument manufacturers
26    and suppliers regarding status of orders and repairs;

 

 

SB2085- 6 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1        (26) acting as an interpreter for non-English speaking
2    and American Sign Language patients or clients and their
3    family members when competent to do so; and
4        (27) assisting with audiology research projects,
5    in-service training, and family or community education.
6    (b) An audiology assistant may not:
7        (1) determine case selection or evaluation protocols;
8        (2) interpret observations or data into diagnostic
9    statements of clinical management strategies or
10    procedures;
11        (3) participate in team or case conferences or on any
12    interdisciplinary team without the presence of the
13    supervising audiologist or an audiologist designated by
14    the supervising audiologist;
15        (4) write, develop, or modify a patient's
16    individualized treatment plan;
17        (5) assist with patients without following the
18    treatment plan prepared by the audiologist or without
19    proper supervision;
20        (6) compose or sign any formal documents (such as
21    treatment plans, reimbursement forms, or reports);
22    progress notes written by audiology assistants may be
23    reviewed and co-signed by the supervising audiologist,
24    subject to local facility policy;
25        (7) transmit or disclose clinical information, either
26    orally or in writing, to anyone, including the patient,

 

 

SB2085- 7 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1    without the approval of the supervising audiologist;
2        (8) select patients for treatment services or
3    discharge patients from treatment services;
4        (9) counsel or consult with the patient, family, or
5    others regarding the patient status or service or make
6    referrals for additional services; and
7        (10) refer to themselves either orally or in writing
8    with a title other than one determined by the supervising
9    audiologist.
 
10    (225 ILCS 110/8.12 new)
11    Sec. 8.12. Supervision of audiology assistants.
12    (a) In this Section, "direct supervision" means in-view
13observation and guidance by an audiologist while an assigned
14activity is performed by the audiology assistant.
15    (b) An audiology assistant shall practice only under the
16supervision of an audiologist who has at least 2 years
17experience in addition to the supervised professional
18experience required under paragraph (f) of Section 8 of this
19Act. An audiologist who supervises an audiology assistant must
20have completed at least 2 clock hours of training in
21supervision related to audiology. The Department shall adopt
22rules describing the supervision training requirements. The
23rules may allow an audiologist to apply to the Board for an
24exemption from this training requirement based upon prior
25supervisory experience.

 

 

SB2085- 8 -LRB102 10419 SPS 15747 b

1    (c) An audiology assistant must be under the direct
2supervision of an audiologist at least 30% of the audiology
3assistant's actual patient or client contact time per patient
4or client during the first 90 days of initial employment as an
5audiology assistant. Thereafter, an audiology assistant must
6be under the direct supervision of an audiologist at least 20%
7of the audiology assistant's actual patient or client contact
8time per patient or client. Supervision of an audiology
9assistant beyond the minimum requirements of this subsection
10may be imposed at the discretion of the supervising
11audiologist. A supervising audiologist must be available to
12communicate with an audiology assistant whenever the assistant
13is in contact with a patient or client.
14    (d) An audiologist who supervises an audiology assistant
15must document direct supervision activities. At a minimum,
16supervision documentation must provide: (1) information
17regarding the quality of the audiology assistant's performance
18of assigned duties; and (2) verification that clinical
19activity is limited to duties specified in Section 8.11.
20    (e) A full-time audiologist may supervise no more than 2
21audiology assistants. An audiologist who does not work
22full-time may supervise no more than one audiology assistant.