Clinical Education SLP
Clinical education, providing clinical services to clients and taking practicum coursework, is an integral part of each student鈥檚 program of study. The program maintains a high standard for clinical education that supports student learning and meets ASHA accreditation standards. Students are required to complete a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience. At least 25 hours must have been spent in clinical observation and at least 375 clock hours must have been spent in direct client/patient contact. Up to 50 hours of documented undergraduate clinical experience may be applied toward the total clock hours needed. Up to 20% (i.e., 75 hours) of direct contact hours may be obtained through Alternative Clinical Experiences (ACE). ACE hours may include the use of standardized patients and simulation technologies (e.g., standardized patients, virtual patients, digitized mannequins, immersive reality, task trainers, computer-based interactive). Experiences must be obtained in evaluation and treatment of children and adults having hearing, speech, and language disorders in a variety of settings. To graduate, all students must complete the .
Clinical experiences are designed to provide the opportunity to apply knowledge that is obtained in academic study. Students enroll for clinical practicum each semester during their program of study. Students may participate in clinic when they are considered prepared by clinical supervisors to provide treatment in accordance with ASHA Code of Ethics, scores on the ACCS and core functions consistent with the profession. Graduation may be delayed if additional preparation is required prior to beginning clinical assignments. In addition, students may only participate when they have completed or are enrolled in coursework relevant to the clinical experience. Practicum coursework includes information and policies of our clinical and offcampus sites, evaluation, and treatment of individuals with communication disorders, and professional issues. Students should consult the HSLC Clinical Practices & Procedures Guide, which provides more information on HSLC policies and procedures.
The clinical faculty meets regularly with students to discuss clinical performance. They consult each semester on each student鈥檚 progress. Supervisors and staff work with students to accurately manage their clinic records. Students satisfying the minimal standards in their clinical performance may continue with these experiences. Students not meeting minimal standards are placed on clinic probation until they resolve their deficiencies or are dismissed from the program. Students are given specific recommendations and guidance for resolving challenges.
Our program required demonstration of both academic and clinical competence. Therefore, all students in good standing must participate in clinical experiences. Furthermore, students must demonstrate English proficiency at a level necessary for providing services to clients. All non-native speakers of American English wishing to enroll in graded or non-graded clinical practicum and be assigned clients in the clinic must meet the criteria outlined in the HSLS Policy on students who are non-native speakers of American English enrolling in clinical practicum. More information can be found in a previous section of this handbook.
Each speech-language pathology graduate student chooses to complete one or two externships (Track A or B). Each externship is a full-time experience lasting approximately fourteen weeks. The start and end dates of the externship may or may not coincide with the semester opening and closing dates. Students must satisfy program requirements before they can do an externship. More information can be found in a previous section of this handbook and in the Clinic Manual.
The clinical faculty is responsible not only for the educational practicum of students, but also for the well-being of the clients being served. All students and clinical faculty must follow the policies and procedures in the HSLS Graduate Handbook and HSLC Clinical Practices & Procedures Guide. Clinical experiences should be considered a privilege rather than a right.
Externship Information/Guidelines
The externship portion of the traditional SLP graduate program typically takes place during Spring and Summer Semesters of Year 2 of the master鈥檚 program. Students opting to do a thesis or who only wish to complete one externship would complete their externship either Year 2 Spring or Year 2 Summer session. Externships are full-time, 14 weeks in duration for the spring semester and 13 weeks for the summer semester. The spring or summer semester externship may be extended one week at the request of either the supervisor or clinician relative to progress and meeting goals. Beginning and end dates are assigned by the Director of Clinical Education for SLP (DCE SLP) and conveyed to students during the externship orientation process. These dates may not be altered by the student without written permission by the DCE SLP.
Usually, students select a school setting for the spring experience to fulfill public school student teaching requirements, and a medical/adult setting for the summer experience. Students completing the thesis/one externship option must complete an adult externship to achieve ASHA required depth and breadth experience. If a student does not wish to complete an educational experience, the DCE will explain what the ramifications are for not completing an educational externship and the student must sign a form indicating that they understand these ramifications. The due date for submitting requests for externship is the 2nd week of the spring quarter of the students first year of graduate school. This format allows approximately eight months for the legal agreements to be established with the chosen sites and allows for choosing new externship sites in the event that an original site is no longer viable.
The DCE SLP will orient students to the externship process and provide a checklist of tasks involved in obtaining sites, along with the required paperwork and documentation. The DCE manages the externship process for all students and is the instructor for the externship courses. The DCE also advises and assists students in locating externship sites, although the student is responsible for active participation in contacting possible externship sites and obtaining the necessary information. Throughout the externship, students will maintain contact with each other, with OU, and with the instructor through Blackboard discussion group. Due dates and graduation issues will also be conveyed via Blackboard.
The DCE works with the Director of Clinical Education for the College of Health Sciences and Professions, who coordinates the legal aspects of obtaining contracts with sites called Affiliation Agreements (AA). Once the AA has been signed and sent to the DCE, the DCE will be responsible for placing the most recent copy of the signed AA on Typhon. The student is responsible for the contents of the Agreement and the specific requirements of the site as noted on the Attestation form. Placements cannot be finalized without a current AA.
Assessments are completed at the end of each semester using the Assessment of Clinical Competence Scale by both the student and the primary Preceptor(s). Mid-term assessments during semesters 1 through 4 may be based on partial completion of the ACCS. The ACCS is completed at mid-term and at the final for full time offsite placements the 5th and 6th semesters.