21 NCAC 64 .1103             LICENSEE REQUIREMENTS

(a)  Licensees who register an Assistant shall be licensed in North Carolina, or hold equivalent qualifications from another state, for the previous two years prior to registering an Assistant with the Board. Temporary license holders shall not register Assistants.

(b)  Licensees who register an Assistant shall attest to the Assistant's understanding and review of the registration and supervision process (scope of practice, ethics, written protocols, record keeping) set forth in the rules of this Section.

(c)  Licensees must submit the application and annual fee for registration of the Assistant to the Board. The application shall include the following information:

(1)           assistant's name, address, and telephone number;

(2)           employer name;

(3)           number of hours worked per week by supervising licensee;

(4)           primary supervising licensee's name, address, and telephone number;

(5)           secondary supervising licensee's name, address, and telephone number, if applicable; and

(6)           all locations where the assistant is to provide services.

(d)  Licensees shall inform all patients when services are being provided by an Assistant and the Assistant must wear a badge that includes the job title: "Audiology Assistant."

(e)  Tasks and duties that are within the scope of responsibilities for an Assistant are listed in Rules .1104 and .1105 of this Section. The Supervising Licensee shall be responsible for all patient services performed by the Assistant. The Supervising Licensee shall determine the assignment of tasks and the amount and type of supervision to ensure quality of care considering relevant factors such as the skills of the Assistant, the needs of the patient, and the service setting. Before assigning treatment tasks to an Assistant, the Licensee shall evaluate the patient files and develop a plan for the care and follow an established protocol.

(f)  Any time an Assistant provides services during a patient encounter, the Supervising Licensee or Assistant shall document the Assistant's services in the patient's medical record. If the Assistant documents the services, the Supervising Licensee shall co-sign the medical record. The Supervising Licensee shall be responsible for the accuracy and compliance of the documentation. These signed and dated patient encounter records must be retained as part of the patient's file for the time period specified in Rule .0209 of this Chapter and may be requested by the Board.

(g)  The Board may do random audits of records to determine compliance with the rules in this Chapter.

(h)  When patient services are being rendered by an Assistant, the Supervising Licensee must be available to observe and supervise the Assistant, when necessary.

(i)  The Primary Supervising Licensee shall assess the Assistant's competencies during the initial 60 days of employment using a performance-based competency assessment. The completed assessment shall be submitted to the Board within 90 days of registration. A new competency assessment must be completed and filed within 90 days each time the Primary Supervising Licensee changes.

(j)  Assistants shall only engage in those activities related to the practice of Audiology as set forth in Rules .1104 and .1105 of this Section. An Assistant's activities related to the practice of Audiology not set forth therein shall be regarded as the unlicensed practice of Audiology.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90-298.1; 90-304(a)(3);

Emergency Adoption Eff. April 24, 2020;

Temporary Adoption Eff. June 26, 2020;

Eff. June 1, 2021.