SHAA’s Continuing Education Lending Library, or CELL, continues to provide SHAA members and ABESPA licensees with a convenient, informative, and inexpensive way to earn the 10 hours of continuing education needed each year to maintain ABESPA licensure. A number of questions coming our way appear to be of general interest, so we will share them with you here.

Q1. I have requested titles and been told they are not available. Is this a common problem?

A1. Happily, Debby Blackmon, who handles the orders for CELL from the Speech and Hearing Center of the University of Montevallo, is able to fill most orders immediately. During certain times of the year (especially from October through December, prior to renewing ABESPA licensure), the number of orders becomes very large, as much as 100 titles per month. Debby can suggest some other titles available to you.

Q2. I was audited this year by ABESPA, and was asked to present appropriate documentation. How do it do that?

A2. When you receive your tapes from ABESPA, you will find a copy of the official documentation form enclosed. Fill it out completely upon completion of viewing or listening to the tape and keep it with your records, in case you need to provide necessary documentation. This form must be used; it was designed as a cooperative effort of SHAA and ABESPA, and meets the requirements of the state for such continuing education documentation.

Warnings about "second-hand borrowing": Some individual borrowers lend their tape(s) to another individual. We prefer that this practice be limited so that tapes can be returned in a timely manner and because tapes are more likely to become lost in this way. Also, importantly, the "second-hand borrowers" may be unaware the requirement to use the documentation form. If they are audited, they will lack necessary records.

A3. SHAA members and ABESPA licensees do not pay rent. However, the cost of shipping and handling does require reimbursement, as well as maintenance fees for the tapes. In actuality, CELL continues to be subsidized in part by the SHAA budget and by generous underwriting of some purchases each year by ABESPA. We have not raised our fee for several years, and are trying hard to keep the price as it is: $10 for the first title, $5 each for the second and third title. Three titles may be borrowed at one time.

A4. Some changes are going into effect, to reflect requirements ABESPA must follow. Namely, eligible titles must involve clinical training, which can benefit you in your practice. No longer can we receive credit for titles involving topics such as advocacy or how to fill out forms or other professional issues. This summer Dr. Kathryn Byrd, CELL Chair, and Dr. Doreen Oyadomari, Continuing Education Chair for ABESPA, will review all CELL holdings to determine which titles will be eligible for ABESPA continuing education hours. The 2002 CELL Directory, to be published this fall, will identify accepted titles. If you have questions before that date, contact Dr. Oyadomari at ABESPA.

A5. This is a complicated situation. CELL was designed to meet the required ABESPA continuing education requirements. ABESPA requirements are not the same thing as requirements for ASHA CEUs. To put it simplistically, one must have paid the annual fee to ASHA for the Continuing Education registry, then one must contact the Continuing Education Administrator for Alabama with a proposed independent project which would include use of CELL materials. Approval must be obtained in advance. A new Continuing Education Administrator has been appointed: Gary Copeland at P. O. Box 580, Normal AL 35762. (Phone) 256-858-4124, email gcopeland @aamu.edu.

A6. The CELL Acquisitions Committee meets at a luncheon meeting at the annual SHAA convention. All interested members and licensees are welcome and urged to attend. Notification of this meeting is placed in preconvention announcements and the convention booklet. Both SLPs and audiologists attend, and every effort is made to select titles that timely and clinically beneficial.

American Indians," Providing Health Care to Hispanic Immigrant Children," and "The Importance of Culture in Building Therapeutic." From ASHA we have received "Identification of Motor Speech Disorders," Management of Dysarthria in Degenerative Neurologic Disease: Key Quality Indicators," "Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing: Assessment and Treatment Programming, "Dynamic Remediation Strategies for Children with Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia, " and "Neuroimaging: How Understanding Individual Differences Can Improve Your Clinical Practice." Look for new titles for audiology tapes in the 2002 CELL Directory.

A7. If you choose to do an independent study, it must be approved in advance by the ASHA Continuing Education Chair for SHAA for it to apply for the ABESPA requirement. That is very cumbersome, but that is the only way independent studies can be authenticated. Of course, most people do not choose to do an independent study.

A8. No. However, there is a shipping and handling fee of $10 for the first title, and $5 each for the second and third titles you can check out at one time. Remember to complete a documentation form for each title you watch. You will receive a copy with each CELL order sent out.

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Additional copies of the 2001 CELL Directory are available from Kathy Byrd.

We hope you enjoy and benefit from your use of SHAA’s Continuing Education Lending Library.