Application FAQ

You should NOT create a new account.  To reset your password, select "Currently Licensed" from the homepage.  You should then select the "Forgot Password?" tab. A new window will open and you must enter the email address on file and the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.  You will then select "RESET MY PASSWORD".  Finally, a window will open and allow you to enter a new password.  Once you select "RESET MY PASSWORD", the system will accept the change.  

-Create an account on the LBESPA website

-Complete an online application for Provisional SLP License

-Submit criminal background check to Louisiana State Police (LSP)

-Request Official Transcript showing degree awarded in accepted field to be emailed to mricca@lbespa.org

-Email clinical practicum hours (signed and dated) to mricca@lbespa.org

-Submit passing score on Praxis exam using code 7331 upon completion (must be submitted within 1 year from effective date) 

The Board will issue a grace period upon receipt of a completed application, which includes transcript, clinical hours, criminal history record information, verification of licensure from each state that you hold or have held licensure. Once all required documents are received, the Board will then issue a grace period via email, which will allow first time applicants to work while the application is being reviewed. If you are reinstating, you are not eligible for a grace period.

Yes, all applicants who wish to obtain licensure, registration, or compact privileges from the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (the “Board”) are required to have a state and federal criminal background check completed with the Louisiana State Police for this purpose.

No. The Board cannot share criminal background information with anyone for any purpose.

Yes, the application is good for one year. All other documents must be requested and sent separately to mricca@lbespa.org upon completion. Transcripts must show "degree awarded".

No. An application must be submitted before having any required documentation sent to the board office. Sending official documentation before your application is submitted may cause delays.

Log in to your LBESPA account and check your dashboard. Document received will be updated within 3-5 days. You can continue to track your application status through your dashboard throughout the process. Applications are not considered complete until all required documents are received.

To withdraw your application, send an email to mricca@lbespa.org. All fees are non-refundable.

While the Practice Act allows for reciprocity, LBESPA requires completion of the full application process. A Verification of Licensure must be submitted from any state in which you hold or have ever held licensure, whether the license is active or expired.  Verification must be submitted by the issuing Board via email directly to mricca@lbespa.org.  Proof of licensure directly from a Board’s website, a copy of your license ID card, nor a certificate is acceptable for this purpose.

The Board does not accept a printout or screenshot of the primary source verification. The state board where you are licensed or have been licensed will need to send the verification directly to mricca@lbespa.org.

Refer to Compact page to find out more about compact privileges.

Audiology licensing terminology changed in the 2016 Legislative Session and the scope of practice for Audiology and Audiology with Hearing Aid Dispensing licenses were merged. Any Audiologists in Louisiana is allowed to dispense hearing aids under their Audiology license, as long as they have meet the coursework and practicum requirements for dispensing as specified in La. R.S. 37:2650 et seq.

Provide documentation of a minimum of three hundred fifty supervised clock hours of clinical practicum obtained during graduate training with at least eighty of those hours obtained in the evaluation, selection, and use of appropriate amplification systems and their related components, including:

Making, fitting, and acoustic modification of earmolds.

Electroacoustic tests of amplification systems.

Maintenance of amplification systems, earmolds, and assistive devices.

Individuals who have never dispensed hearing aids, must provide proof to the Board that they meet the coursework and practicum requirements for dispensing as specified in La. R.S. 37:2650 eq seq. and shall be supervised by a licensed audiologist, who dispenses hearing aids for 9 months of post-graduate professional employment/experience, in addition to successful completion of a study course by the National Institute for Hearing Instrument Studies, or its equivalent.

Yes, ABA certification can be used for licensure, in conjunction with a passing praxis score. Both documents must be emailed to mricca@lbespa.org.

See Welcome Home Act

If you do not qualify through the Welcome Home Act, you must enroll in an accredited university to obtain the hours through a clinical practicum program. 

Rule 107.H.4.a. requires a minimum of 100 clinical practicum hours which have been obtained through a regionally accredited educational institution or its cooperating programs.  25 hours may be obtained through observation of assessment and therapy.  The first 75 hours of direct patient/client contact shall be obtained in the following categories: 

Minimum of 20 hours in speech disorders.

Minimum of 20 hours in language disorders.

The remaining 35 hours may be obtained in the areas of speech, language or hearing disorders.  A maximum of 5 of these hours may be in the area of audiology.  It is recommended that a minimum of 20 hours be in articulation.

Clinical practicum hours must be emailed to mricca@lbespa.org directly from the university. The hours must be signed and dated with a summary sheet, showing the breakdown of hours by category as required by Rule.

No, the first 100 hours must come directly from a regionally accredited university.

Yes, both transcripts are required. One will show the degree awarded and the other will show the completion of the clinical practicum course while enrolled in a program.

You have one year from issue date of licensure to submit a passing score on the praxis exam. All passing scores must be requested from ETS using code 7331.

Clinical practicum hours must be sent to mricca@lbespa.org. If the hours are signed and dated by the program director, these can be emailed directly from the applicant.

You can use the supervision you have already received, if your supervisor was ASHA certified and you can submit completion of the supervision on the Board's SLP Form 100. An employer letter verifying your employment, full-time or part-time, and the dates you were employed is required.

A Provisional SLP license is required. The clinical fellowship through ASHA and the Board's post-graduate professional employment experience as a Provisional SLP coincide, but are two completely different processes.

Yes, continuing education is required to be completed while you hold a Provisional SLP license. 

LBESPA does not require ASHA certification. If you hold a current license in another state, the Board will accept a letter from ASHA stating that you were previously certified and met the requirements at that time.

If you do not hold a current speech-language pathology license in another state, you must submit a passing Praxis score that was achieved no more than 5 years prior to the submission of the request for reinstatement. 

If you do not hold a current speech-language pathology license in another state, you must submit evidence of 25 continuing education hours directly related to the clinical practice of the license being sought and must have been obtained within the past 18 months.

Refer to the Compact page to determine if you qualify for compact privileges.