H.B.
503
127th General Assembly
(As Introduced)
Reps. Peterson and Letson, Evans, Bacon, Boyd, Yuko, Stebelton, R. Hagan, B. Williams, Beatty, Raussen, Huffman, Fende, Mecklenborg, Heard, Celeste, Brown, Strahorn
BILL SUMMARY
· Changes the education and experience requirements for admission to the psychologist licensure examination, but excepts from the new requirements applicants who enroll in programs that meet existing requirements not later than 60 days after the bill's effective date.
· Removes the requirement that the State Board of Psychology maintain a record of each degree program it recognizes as acceptable for fulfilling the educational requirements, but requires the Board to adopt rules for determining whether a degree is equivalent to a degree from an institution in the United States.
· Eliminates the requirement that at least one year of the two years of supervised professional experience an applicant needs to be admitted to the psychologist licensure examination be completed on a postdoctoral basis and amends the definition of "licensed clinical psychologist" in the laws governing the hospitalization of mentally ill persons and the Ohio Department of Mental Health to reflect this change.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
(R.C. 4732.10)
Currently, to be admitted to the examination for a psychologist license, an applicant must meet all of the following requirements:
(1) Be at least 21 years old.
(2) Be of good moral character.
(3) Be a U.S. citizen or have legally declared the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen.
(4) Have received from an accredited or recognized educational institution an earned doctoral degree in psychology, school psychology, or a doctoral degree deemed equivalent by the State Board of Psychology. (Current law requires the Psychology Board to maintain a record of each specific degree program it recognizes as acceptable for fulfilling the educational requirements.)
(5) Have had a least two years of supervised professional experience in psychological work of a type satisfactory to the Psychology Board, at least one year of which must be postdoctoral.
New requirements. The bill modifies the fourth (degree) requirement by specifying the acceptable education or practical experience. An applicant must meet one of the following requirements:
· Have received an earned doctoral degree from an institution accredited or recognized by a national or regional accrediting agency and a program accredited by the American Psychological Association, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, the Accreditation Office of the Canadian Psychological Association, or a program listed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register Designation Committee;
· Have received a degree from an academic institution outside of the United States or Canada determined by the Psychology Board to be equivalent to a doctoral degree in psychology from a program described above;
· Held a psychologist license, certificate, or registration required for practice in another United States or Canadian jurisdiction for a minimum of ten years and meet educational, experience, and professional requirements established by the Psychology Board.
Grandfather provision. The bill permits an applicant who, up to 60 days after the bill's effective date, is enrolled in a program that meets the educational requirements of current law to qualify under current requirements rather than the new ones. The applicant must, however, earn a doctoral degree in psychology or school psychology or a doctoral degree deemed equivalent by the Psychology Board no later than eight years after the bill's effective date. The bill thereby grandfathers applicants who are in or about to start degree programs when the bill takes effect.
The bill also removes the requirement that the Psychology Board maintain a record of each specific degree program that it recognizes as acceptable for fulfilling the educational requirements. It requires instead that the Board adopt rules for determining whether a degree is equivalent to a degree in psychology from an institution in the United States.
The bill modifies the fifth (supervised experience) requirement by eliminating the requirement that at least one year of the minimum two years of supervised professional experience be completed on a postdoctoral basis.
The bill maintains all other requirements of current law for admission to the examination.
(R.C. 5122.01)
For purposes of current laws governing the hospitalization of mentally ill individuals (R.C. Chapter 5122.) and the Ohio Department of Mental Health (R.C. Chapter 5119.), "licensed clinical psychologist" is defined as a person who holds a current valid psychologist license issued by the Psychology Board and meets certain criteria. One of which includes a requirement that the psychologist have a minimum of two years' supervised, full-time professional experience, or the equivalent as determined by rule of the Psychology Board, at least one year of which must be postdoctoral, in clinical psychological work diagnosing and treating problems of mental illness or mental retardation.
For purposes of making the definition of "licensed clinical psychologist" consistent with the bill's amendment of law governing admission to the psychologist licensure examination, the bill eliminates the requirement that at least one year of the minimum two years of supervised professional experience be completed on a postdoctoral basis.
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
03-11-08 |
h0503-i-127.doc/kl