24.222.525 AUDIOLOGY SCOPE OF PRACTICE (1) The scope of practice of audiology includes but is not limited to: (a) identification, assessment, management, and interpretation of auditory/vestibular disorders; (b) otoscopic examination and external ear canal management for removal of cerumen in order to: (i) evaluate auditory/vestibular disorders; (ii) make ear impressions; (iii) fit hearing protection or prosthetic devices; and (iv) monitor the continuous use of hearing aids; (c) administration and interpretation of behavioral, electroacoustic, or electrophysiologic methods used to assess auditory/vestibular disorders; (d) evaluation and management of children and adults with auditory processing disorders; (e) supervising and conducting newborn screening programs; (f) measurement and interpretation of sensory and motor evoked potentials, electromyography, and other electrodiagnostic tests for purposes of neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring; (g) provision of hearing care by selecting, evaluating, fitting, facilitating, adjustment to, and dispensing prosthetic devices for hearing loss, including: (i) hearing aids; (ii) sensory aids; (iii) hearing assistive devices; (iv) alerting and telecommunication systems; and (v) captioning devices; (h) assessment of candidacy of persons with hearing loss for cochlear implants and provision of fitting, and audiological rehabilitation to optimize device use; (i) provision of audiological rehabilitation including: (i) speech reading; (ii) communication management; (iii) language development; (iv) auditory skill development; and (v) counseling for psychosocial adjustment to hearing loss for persons with hearing loss, their families, and care givers; (j) consultation to educators as members of interdisciplinary teams about communication management, educational implications, classroom acoustics, and large-area amplification systems for children with hearing loss; (k) prevention of hearing loss and conservation of hearing function by designing, implementation, and coordinating occupational, school, and community hearing conservation and identification programs; (l) consultation and provision of rehabilitation of persons with balance disorders using habituation, exercise therapy, and balance retraining; (m) designing and conducting basic and applied audiologic research, and disseminating research findings to other professionals and to the public, to: (i) increase the knowledge base; (ii) develop new methods and programs; and (iii) determine the efficacy of assessment and treatment paradigms; (n) education and administration in audiology graduate and professional education programs; (o) measurement of functional outcomes, consumer satisfaction, effectiveness, efficiency, and cost-benefit of practices and programs to maintain and improve the quality of audiological services; (p) administration and supervision of professional and technical personnel who provide support functions to the practice of audiology; (q) screening of speech-language, use of sign language, and other factors affecting communication function for the purposes of an audiological evaluation or initial identification of individuals at risk for other communication disorders; (r) consultation about accessibility for persons with hearing loss in public and private buildings, programs, and services; (s) assessment and nonmedical management of tinnitus using: (i) biofeedback; (ii) masking; (iii) habituation; (iv) hearing aids; (v) education; and (vi) counseling; (t) consultation to individuals, public and private agencies, and governmental bodies, or as an expert witness regarding legal interpretations of audiology findings, effects of auditory/vestibular disorders, and relevant noise related considerations; (u) case management and service as a liaison for consumers, families, and agencies in order to monitor audiologic status and management and to make recommendations about educational and vocational programming; and (v) consultation to industry on the development of products and instrumentation related to the management of auditory/vestibular function. History: 37-1-131, 37-15-202, MCA; IMP, 37-15-102, MCA; NEW, 2006 MAR p. 2413, Eff. 10/6/06. |