Getting a New York SLP License

In New York, speech-language pathologists and audiologists are licensed by the State Education Department's Office of the Professions, with a State Board for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. New York is not a member of the ASLP Compact. The Commission's map still lists a past bill there but shows the state as having no active legislation, so plan on a New York license.

A New York license works differently from most. The license itself is valid for life unless revoked, but to practice it must be registered, and registration renews every three years. The licensure and first registration fee is $294.

Who needs a New York license?

Using the title "speech-language pathologist" or "audiologist" in New York requires a license, except in exempt settings: federal, state or local government; public or nonpublic elementary and secondary schools; and colleges and universities. Those exemptions are narrower than they sound.

The Office of the Professions explains it this way. If you hold a teaching certificate as a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped, you can provide speech and language services as an employee of a school or center-based preschool. To provide services independently or in a clinic, you need a license and current registration. If you contract with schools or agencies rather than being their employee, you need both the license and the teaching certificate. Teletherapy contractors serving New York schools fall into that last group. See school SLP credentials beyond the state license.

Can you get licensed by endorsement?

Yes, if you meet New York's specific list. For an SLP or audiologist licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction, licensure by endorsement requires:

• meeting section 59.6 of the Commissioner's Regulations;
• an acceptable program with a practicum and at least 60 semester hours in speech-language pathology or audiology;
• at least two years of acceptable professional experience after licensure in that jurisdiction, within the six years immediately before you apply;
• a passing Praxis score;
• certification from an acceptable certifying agency such as ASHA; and
• good standing in every jurisdiction where you are licensed.

The certification line is the one that closes the door for some. An SLP who let the CCC lapse cannot use endorsement and applies through the standard route instead. So can someone with less than two years of post-licensure practice in the last six. See ASHA's CCC is not a state license.

What does the standard route require?

You must be of good moral character, at least 21, and meet New York's education, exam and experience requirements:

• Education: a graduate degree from a New York-registered licensure-qualifying program, an ASHA-accredited program, or the equivalent, which New York defines as 75 semester hours including a practicum, at least 36 of them at the graduate level.
• Practicum: at least 400 supervised clock hours, including 375 of direct client contact and 25 of observation.
• Exam: Praxis 5331 for SLPs or 5343 for audiologists, with 162 as the minimum passing score, sent directly from ETS to agency code R7747.
• Experience: at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours of supervised experience after all degree requirements are done, completed within four years. Weeks with fewer than five hours do not count, and no more than 45 hours a week count.

At the end of the experience, your supervisor sends Form 4B directly to the Office of the Professions; New York will not accept it from you. If you completed your experience and hold ASHA certification, ASHA can send a verification statement instead. Experience outside New York counts if your supervisor held the appropriate ASHA CCC. Your school sends Form 2 directly, and other states verify your licenses on Form 3.

How is supervised experience documented in New York?

The supervisor's role is spelled out. For every 12 weeks or 420 hours, the supervisor provides at least 6 hours of direct and 6 hours of indirect supervision, and the monitoring should include direct observation of your clinical work. Multiple employers can count toward the 36 weeks if each supervisor meets that ratio. At least two-thirds of the experience should be direct clinical contact; academic teaching, research and administration do not count.

The Office of the Professions also accepts clinical simulations for part of the direct contact requirement, up to 75 hours for an SLP and 10 percent for an audiologist, if the supervisor meets its conditions. And applicants who have met the education requirement can keep working under a licensed SLP's supervision while waiting for the license, or while preparing to retake the exam, as long as they stay inside the four-year window for the experience.

What about clinical fellows in New York?

New York's Limited License in Speech-Language Pathology is optional. The Office of the Professions says it was created for settings that bill Medicare directly. You apply on Form 1LL with a $70 fee, along with or after Form 1, plus a Form 5CS certification of supervisor. It lasts a year and can be renewed for further one-year periods until you finish the experience requirement. Otherwise, you can work under supervision by submitting Form 4a identifying your supervisor and setting. See licensing during your clinical fellowship.

Does New York license SLP assistants?

No. The Office of the Professions says New York law restricts the practice of speech-language pathology and audiology to licensed professionals, and unlicensed people "may not provide speech-language pathology or audiology services." People who clean equipment or do clerical work for an SLP should not be called "speech aides." SLPAs moving to New York should read licensing as an SLPA in another state before accepting a job.

How does registration renewal work?

Each three-year registration cycle you complete 30 hours of continuing competency learning activities, at least 20 in a professional area and the rest in related areas such as supervision or reimbursement. Only two-thirds can be self-directed online study from an approved provider; the remaining third must be in person, live online or synchronous. Audiologists who dispense hearing aids must spend six of the professional hours on hearing aid selection and fitting. Approved sponsors are listed by the Education Department. If your registration lapses for more than four months, you file a delayed registration application.

Is there a specialty or bilingual license?

No. New York has no specialty licensure in speech-language pathology. A bilingual extension exists for the teaching certificate, not the license. See bilingual SLP credentials and state rules.

Why do New York files take time?

Almost every document comes from someone other than you: Form 2 from your school, Form 3 from each other state, Form 4B or ASHA verification for experience, and the score from ETS. The Office of the Professions says following up with each sender is your responsibility. One missing third-party form holds the whole file.

Can we prepare your New York application?

Yes. We check whether you qualify for endorsement or need the standard route, prepare Form 1, send Form 2, 3 and 4B requests to the right people, order your ETS report, and follow up until each arrives. Endorsement is our License by Endorsement service at $599; the standard route is our Full State License Application at $749. A limited license for a clinical fellow is $349. State and ETS fees are separate, and you review and sign the application. See New York details and sources on the New York state page.