Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 216 - Department of health › Chapter 40 - Professional licensing and facility regulation › Subchapter 05 - Professional Licensing › Part 33 - Speech Pathologists and Audiologists (216-RICR-40-05-33) › Section 216-RICR-40-05-33.3 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Wherever used in this Part, the following
				  terms shall be construed as follows:
1.
				  "Accredited/approved" means that an institution/program holds regional
				  accreditation from one (1) of six (6) regional accrediting bodies: Middle
				  States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools
				  and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest
				  Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and
				  Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
2. "Act" means R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-48
				  entitled, "Speech Pathology and Audiology."
3. "Audiologist" means an individual who is
				  licensed by the Board to practice audiology.
4. "Audiology" means the application of
				  principles, methods, and procedures related to hearing and the disorders of the
				  hearing and balance systems, to related language and speech disorders, and to
				  aberrant behavior related to hearing loss by an audiologist. A hearing disorder
				  is defined as altered sensitivity, acuity, function, processing, and/or damage
				  to the integrity of the physiological auditory/vestibular systems, in
				  individuals or groups of individuals who have or are suspected of having such
				  disorders.
5. "Audiology support
				  personnel" shall operate under the title "audiometric aide" and means an
				  individual who meets minimum qualifications, established by the Board, which
				  are less than those established by the Act as necessary for licensing as an
				  audiologist; does not act independently; is limited to hearing screening with
				  pass/fail criteria, and works under the direction and supervision of an
				  audiologist licensed under the Act who has been actively working in the field
				  for twenty-four (24) months after completion of the postgraduate professional
				  experience and who accepts the responsibility for the acts and performances of
				  the audiometric aide while working under the Act.
6. "Board" means the "State Board of
				  Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology."
7. "Clinical fellowship or traineeship" means
				  the direct clinical work, consultation or other duties relevant to clinical
				  speech language pathology work with individuals presenting disorders in
				  communication, for a cumulative or equivalent total of nine (9) months of full-
				  time employment following completion of professional speech language pathology
				  education under supervision pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
											5-48-7.
8. "Clinical fellow" means the person who is
				  practicing speech language pathology under the supervision of a licensed speech
				  language pathologist while completing the postgraduate professional experience
				  as required by the Act and who holds a current provisional license in
				  accordance with the requirements described in this Part.
9. "Department" means the Rhode Island
				  Department of Health.
10.
				  "Director" means the Director of the Rhode Island Department of
				  Health.
11. "Graduate program"
				  means a post-baccalaureate accredited program leading to a master's or doctoral
				  degree, including a professional doctoral degree, whether offered through an
				  accredited graduate or professional school.
12. "Newborn Hearing Screener" means an
				  audiometric aide working in a hospital-based newborn hearing screening program
				  under the direction of the RI Department of Health Newborn Hearing Screening
				  Program or its appointee.
13.
				  "Person" means an individual, partnership, organization or corporation, except
				  that only individuals can be licensed under the Act.
14. "The practice of audiology" means an
				  audiologist rendering or offering to render any service in audiology as defined
				  in R.I. Gen. Laws §
											5-48-1(8)(i).
15. "The practice of speech language
				  pathology" means rendering or offering to render any service in speech language
				  pathology as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws §
											5-48-1(9)(i).
16. "Regionally accredited" means the
				  official guarantee that a college or university or other educational
				  institution is in conformity with the standards of education prescribed by a
				  regional accrediting commission recognized by the United States Secretary of
				  Education.
17. "School Hearing
				  Screener" means an audiometric aide working in a school-based hearing screening
				  program under the direction of the RI Department of Education or its
				  appointee.
18. "Speech language
				  pathologist" means an individual who is licensed by the Board to practice
				  speech language pathology.
19.
				  "Speech language pathology" means the activities defined in R.I. Gen. Laws
				  §
											5-48-1(12).
20. "Speech language support personnel" means
				  an individual who meets minimum qualifications established by the Board, which
				  are less than those established by the Act as necessary for licensing as a
				  speech language pathologist; does not act independently; and works under the
				  direction and supervision of a speech language pathologist licensed under the
				  Act who has been actively working in the field for twenty-four (24) months
				  after completion of the postgraduate professional experience and who accepts
				  the responsibility for the acts and performances of the speech language
				  pathology assistant while working under the Act.