Section 25.218. Credit for continuing education

(a) Credit hour. A hearing aid fitter shall receive 1 hour of credit for each 50 minutes of instruction in a continuing education program presented in a classroom setting. Credit may not be given if attendance or other participation in the program is not adequate to meet the educational objectives of the program as determined by the person offering the program. For completing a continuing education program that is not presented in a classroom setting, the hearing aid fitter shall receive the number of credit hours assigned to the program by the Department.

(b) Program completion. A hearing aid fitter shall receive no credit for a continuing education program not completed, as evidenced by satisfaction of the check-in/check-out process for a continuing education program presented in a classroom setting and the continuing education report verifying that the hearing aid fitter completed the program, both of which are submitted to the Department by the person who offered the program. The program shall also not be considered completed if the hearing aid fitter does not satisfy other program completion requirements imposed by this subchapter and the continuing education provider.

(c) Continuing education credit for instruction. A hearing aid fitter shall receive credit equal to the number of hours served as an instructor in a continuing education program approved by the Department, or in a program that satisfies requirements for initial certification as a hearing aid fitter, except that only half of the credit hours necessary for renewal of a hearing aid fitter’s registration certificate may be obtained through serving as an instructor. The remaining credits necessary to renew a certificate shall be obtained through attendance at continuing education programs.

(d) Repeat completion or teaching of a continuing education program. The Department will not accept more than one completion or teaching of a continuing education program for credit toward renewal of a fitter’s registration certificate, but will accept a subsequent completion or teaching of the same continuing education program for a subsequent renewal of a fitter’s registration certificate.

(e) Continuing education credit through endorsement. A hearing aid fitter who attends or teaches a continuing education program offered outside this Commonwealth may apply to the Department to receive credit for the program. The hearing aid fitter shall have the burden of demonstrating to the Department that the course meets standards substantially equivalent to the standards imposed in this subchapter. The Department will assign credit to the program, including the possibility of no credit or partial credit, based upon considerations of whether the program bears entirely upon appropriate subject matter and whether the method of presenting the program meets standards substantially equivalent to those prescribed in this subchapter.

(f) Continuing education credit assigned to self-study courses. Credit may be sought from the Department for a self-study continuing education program. The hearing aid fitter shall submit an application to the Department to approve the self-study program for credit before commencing the program and shall supply the Department with the materials the Department requests to conduct the evaluation, which may include any of the materials used in the course. The Department will assign credit to the program based upon considerations of whether the program addresses appropriate subject matter and whether the method of completing the program meets standards substantially equivalent to those prescribed in this subchapter. The Department may require modifications to the proposed self-study as a precondition to approving it for credit. If the materials are unavailable to the fitter prior to taking the course, the fitter may apply to the Department for credit after completing it. However, the Department reserves the right to disapprove the course for credit after it has been completed if it does not meet the standards prescribed in this subchapter.

(g) Continuing education credit assigned to courses not presented in a classroom setting. A hearing aid fitter shall be awarded credit for completing a continuing education program without the hearing aid fitter physically attending the program in a classroom setting, provided the program has been approved by the Department for credit when presented in that manner.

(h) Resolution of discrepancies. The Department will resolve all discrepancies between the number of continuing education credits reported and the number of continuing education credits a hearing aid fitter alleges to have earned. To help resolve disputes, the hearing aid fitter should retain the original certificate of completion of a continuing education program if a certificate of completion has been received by the hearing aid fitter.

The provisions of this § 25.218 adopted May 28, 2004, effective May 29, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 2808.