New Hampshire Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Licensure Guide - 2024
AKA: New Hampshire SLPA Licensure
What's Here? - Table of Contents
To become an assistant speech-language pathologist in New Hampshire you need to be of good professional character, compassionate, and ready to work in a fast-paced environment. The life of a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) is dynamic and exciting as your days are spent helping others overcome their speech challenges.
This is an excellent career choice for anyone looking to become a fully licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) as it introduces you to the profession. Working as an assistant will give you a first-hand look at what to expect when working in the field. It’s at this point that most SLPAs decide which specialties or patient populations they’d prefer to study in graduate school.
Becoming an SLPA is a great way to earn money as you take postgraduate courses. You’ll also serve as the support staff for busy SLPs and perform tasks that will allow them to take on more patients. SLPAs assist with screening patients, tracking and documenting patient performance, training patients on alternative communication technology, and much more.
All the while, you’ll be working with an expert SLP who will guide you through the clinical procedures needed to provide a high level of service to clients. The field is growing, and if you want to grow with it, keep reading for more information on becoming an SLPA in New Hampshire.
The Speech Language Pathology and Hearing Care Providers Governing Board are the regulating and licensing body for SLPAs in New Hampshire. SLPA licenses are renewed every two years and licensees are required to meet certain qualifications to maintain their certification.
Speech-language pathologist assistants need an associate degree or higher in one of the following subjects:
Learn about associate degree programs in communication sciences and disorders or learn about bachelor degree programs in communication sciences and disorders.
The SLPA program attended should be accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) to ensure it aligns with the standard of education set for SLPAs. A few of the course titles you can expect to take are:
To have your application considered for approval you will have to submit a criminal history records check. State residents can visit the Criminal Records Portal and enter their name, phone number, and email address. Follow the onscreen prompts for scheduling a new appointment.
Both a fingerprint and name-based check are completed. Fingerprints are checked against the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) records while names are checked against the state’s criminal database.
Applicants living in another state can be fingerprinted digitally through Livescan or use a physical fingerprint card. Livescan is recommended as the fingerprint rejection rate is lower which will help move your application through the approval process easily. Also, be sure to submit a Criminal Record Authorization Form.
The background check fee is $48.25 and can be paid with a credit or debit card online, or with a money order or check made out to the State of NH-Criminal Records. If mailing your information send it to:
OPLC – Board of Allied HealthIf you experience any issues when signing up please contact (603) 271-2152 to speak with a customer service representative.
Applications are completed online as paper forms are no longer accepted. To attain your initial SLPA license you’ll need to submit the following documents to the Board:
If professionally licensed in another state, the issuing jurisdiction must send verification of licensure directly to the Board.
The initial certification fee is $55, and the application fee is $20, both of which are paid through the online portal. If you need to scan and upload paperwork, send it to oplclicensing3@oplc.nh.gov, or mail it to:
OPLC – Board of Allied HealthIf further documentation is needed the Board will notify you in writing within 60 days of the application’s submission. Applicants who do not provide the requested documents within 54 weeks of initially applying will be denied.