Be In Demand
The demand for audiology and speech-language pathology services continues to grow. Become a certified assistant to show you're qualified to provide those services with the supervision of an audiologist or an SLP.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) two new certifications—one for audiology assistants and one for speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs)—show employers you’re a qualified professional ready to work with licensed audiologists or speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools, health clinics and hospitals, private practice, and other work settings.
ASHA, through the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC), has two new credentials, one for audiology assistants and one for SLPAs.
ASHA and the CFCC are rigorously developing the national credentials through a research-based practice analysis to ensure that the certification truly reflects emerging data, applied knowledge, and best practices.
We’re glad you’re interested in ASHA’s Assistants Certification Program. We’d love to learn more about you. We’ll be in touch with more information and resources to help you prepare for certification.
The demand for audiology and speech-language pathology services is growing fast—and will continue to increase well into the future. The rapid growth has been fueled by many factors, including an aging population, earlier diagnoses of childhood communication disorders, and growing numbers of children with special needs being mainstreamed in schools.
To effectively meet this growing need, teams of qualified professionals, including certified audiologists and SLPs, must work at the top of their license. Audiology assistants and SLPAs play an important role in making that happen.
Whether you're just finishing your education, have military experience, or are already working as an audiology assistant or SLPA, earning one of ASHA's new certifications will give clients and employers confidence in your abilities as a qualified assistant.
ASHA's Assistants Certification Program represents a mark of distinction and trust. Your certification signifies that you're a professional who is knowledgeable about and committed to public safety and ethical work practices, as an extension of the audiologist or SLP, and that you abide by the Assistants Code of Conduct.
Through ASHA assistants certification requirements, you'll stay engaged in your profession with continuing education and lifelong learning.
Stay tuned for new professional opportunities and benefits as an ASHA assistant.
ASHA's Assistants Certification Program helps improve patient/client access to audiology and speech-language pathology services by creating a pipeline of qualified professionals who meet uniform standards of competency and are committed to delivering high-quality care. The certifications also enable audiologists and SLPs to more effectively deliver services and practice at the top of their licenses by extending their services through certified assistants.
The Assistants Certification Program creates a cost-effective and reliable means of identifying professionals qualified to perform the functions of an assistant, relieving some of the training burden currently placed on audiologists and SLPs. More than 75% of existing SLPs said that a national credential will verify SLPAs' knowledge and skills, making it easier to identify qualified job applicants.
Certification establishes a uniform standard for the knowledge/skill level expected of assistants and ensures that all certified assistants meet the same rigorous requirements. It also creates a baseline of competency for assistants, which may resolve current variances in regulatory requirements across states.