Originally posted to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Headlines e-mail list on 3/2/05.
Following are the highlights of the meeting:
Report from the Chair
The new Chair of the CFCC for 2005 is Robert Novak. Novak indicated that two of his goals for the CFCC for 2005 were to: (1) further the value of the Certificates of Clinical Competence; and (2) strengthen relationship with the state licensure boards and with the National Council of State Boards of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (NCSB).
As a start in accomplishing the second goal, the Council had a discussion that included staff from Governmental Relations and Public Policy that centered on working with the licensure boards in understanding the new competency-based certification standards and how standards are set by the CFCC. One outcome of this discussion was the decision to submit an article from the Chair of CFCC to the NCSB Newsletter.
Orientation for New Council Members
Part of the first day of the meeting was spent on providing an orientation to the new and returning CFCC members in certification, National Office procedures, and Council member responsibilities. Also reviewed and decided was the need to appoint new Subcommittees. Several Subcommittees were established to address the following areas:
Certification Maintenance, the Clinical Fellowship, Operating Manual, Reinstatement, and File Reviews. Additionally, the Executive Committee was elected and is composed of the Chair of CFCC and the Vice Chair for Audiology, Neil DiSarno, and the Vice Chair for Speech-Language Pathology, Nancy Creaghead.
The Council was also provided with an overview of the Academic, Accreditation, Certification, and Ethics Issues Unit (AACEIU) Communications Plan and asked for their input. The goal of the AACEIU Communications Plan seems to fit well with the Chair's first goal for the CFCC, furthering the value of the Certificates of Clinical Competence.
Information was also provided on the National Office plans to seek accreditation for the certification program by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Areas needing Council feedback were identified and the members of the Council were informed that further communication would be provided by National Office staff as the process for ANSI recognition moved forward.
Questions from Programs and Applicants
The CFCC spent a good part of its time in reviewing questions from graduate academic program directors, clinical program directors, university faculty and students on current and new certification standards. These included questions about acceptable clinical practicum experiences, competency assessment for students with disabilities, completion of the application forms for certification, standards in the area of literacy, to name a few. Council members provided feedback to staff that will be relayed to the individuals with questions and this information will also, as much as possible, be added to the "FAQs" that are on the ASHA Web site with regard to certification standards.
The CFCC also received reports from National Office, the Chair of the Council on Academic Accreditation, Amy Wohlert, the Vice President for Quality of Service in Speech-Language Pathology, Tommie Robinson, Jr., and the incoming President of the Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD), Richard Hurtig. The Council will next meet on July 15-17, 2005 at the National Office.
Reprinted by permission of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
