About Submissions & Approvals
The International Hearing Society (IHS) is a trusted approver of continuing education courses and programs for practitioners in hearing healthcare. Through the application and review process, IHS assures that only programs that are in compliance with rigorous standards are approved. IHS maintains continuing education records and produces continuing education certificates that are accepted in most jurisdictions that mandate continuing education as a requirement for license renewal, as well as by the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS).
For questions regarding IHS course approval, contact our Professional Development team.
Course Approval Requirements and Guidelines
IHS works directly with education providers.
All IHS-approved education providers must adhere to the IHS Course Application Requirements and Guidelines.
Please review this document before registering or applying for course approval.
Course
Approval Process
To begin the process for getting your course approved by IHS, please download and read the full Course Approval Requirements and Guidelines. The process below is mostly the same for general education providers and IHS affiliate chapters. Providers of both types must apply for every individual course/meeting to obtain IHS approval.
The Process for Approval is As Follows:
- Annual Registration: You will complete the Annual Education Provider Registration Form and pay the annual registration fee as detailed in the Fees for Course Approval section. You will need your organizational IHS login credentials. If you don’t have them, please email snaife@ihsinfo.org for assistance.
- Course Application: The course provider will then need to submit the online course application with payment at least 30 days before the first offering of the course. IHS Chapter Leaders must submit the online course application with payment at least 15 days before the first offering of the course. Note: Only apply once for a course being offered on numerous dates or in multiple locations during the calendar year. Refer to the Fees for Course Approval section for information about the course application fee.
- IHS Review: IHS will verify that the educational content adheres to the IHS Approved Categories of Instruction and other standards. Our team will also verify the number of contact hours for the course. Your course will either be approved or denied for continuing education credit. You will receive notice from our team.
- Course Approved: If approved, our team will assign a Continuing Education Number (CEN) to each course. IHS emails an approval letter with the CEN to the applicant. This email will also contain a special link for learners to claim earned credits. At this point, the course can be promoted as “approved for IHS continuing education credit.”
- Approval Icon & Statement in Promotion: Once the course is approved, education providers must use the IHS CE Approval Icon and Required Approval Statement on the course’s promotional materials. At this time, you can also request, if desired, for our team to promote your course in The Hearing Professional magazine and on the IHS event calendar. Please note: not all courses will be approved for promotion by IHS.
- Learners Claim Credit: After the course has taken place, you, the provider, will send the special link that was supplied with the CEN for learners to claim the credit. Learners will click the link, sign into the IHS website, and claim their credit instantly.
Fees for IHS Course Approval
Annual Registration Fee
This fee is due every year (and is based on the calendar year) when the Annual Provider Registration Form is submitted. This step must be completed prior to submission of your first course application.
Education Provider Annual Fee: $525 USD
IHS Chapter Annual Fee: $250 USD
Course Application Fee
This fee is paid at the time of submission for each course application. Fee varies based on the number of CE Credits the course offers and is waived for IHS affiliate chapters in good standing:
0-1.99 CEs: $53 USD
2-4.99 CEs: $105 USD
5-9.99 CEs: $158 USD
10-14.99 CEs: $210 USD
15+ CEs: $263 USD
Course Estimated Attendance Fee
This fee is paid at the time of submission for each course application. The course provider is asked to estimate the number of attendees. Varies based on the estimated number of attendees for the course and is waived for IHS affiliate chapters in good standing:
0-25: $53 USD
26-50: $132 USD
51-100: $210 USD
101-150: $289 USD
151-200: $368 USD
201-250: $447 USD
251-300: $525 USD
301-350: $604 USD
351-400: $683 USD
401-450: $762 USD
451-500: $840 USD
501+: $919 USD
Approximately 20% of courses will be audited for attendance counts. If more learners have claimed credit than were purchased, the course provider will be invoiced for the difference.
Rush Application Fee
A $150 fee is imposed for course applications submitted less than 30 days prior to a course offering. For IHS chapters, the fee is imposed for course applications submitted less than 15 days prior to a course offering.
IHS-Approved Categories Of Instruction
The IHS Approved Categories of Instruction are indicative of those topics considered germane to hearing healthcare professionals, specifically those engaged in hearing aid dispensing. Upon receiving the course approval application, the IHS team will be reviewing the education content to verify it adheres to these categories and other standards.
CE Approval Icon and Required Approval Statement
For IHS-Approved courses, the provider will receive a link to a digital version of the stamp (icon), which must be used on promotional materials. The stamp may only be used in materials associated with the approved course.
The International Hearing Society’s logo may not be used alone. Once the course is approved, education providers must use both the stamp and statement on the course’s promotional materials.