There is much of significance to consider on our tenth anniversary. These positions bear examination. I remember our early years when discussion among AAA leadership considered licensure as the defining statement for audiology. We even dared to talk about ending the odious CCC program. I don't remember calls for imitating ASHA's model of behavior or designing our professional home to be just like ASHA's 1950s model, albeit painted a different color.
Audiology is much like optometry.
My colleagues in other professions laugh at this thought when I try it on them. In concert with their accreditation of training programs, certification is their main device for recruitment and retention of membership. This is why ASHA has resisted, slithered, and squirmed on the Au. We all know what M.D., D.D.S. and O.D. signifies after a professional's name. ASHA is now moving in the direction of specialty certification.