.Setting Up SLP Students For Externship Success

So, you’re ready to take on a graduate student for their externship and probably wondering what to do next. Here are a few tips for a successful, rewarding, and fun experience.

Matching for Externships:

Some programs allow students to find their own placement. Some have an externship coordinator/s who works with sites and students to find a good match. Be open to the university placing a graduate student with you who they determine will be a good fit.

The externship coordinator will think about several factors when matching a student including the type of setting, pace of the setting, and the populations seen. They will also consider the student’s professionalism, work ethic, interests, experience/hours needed, and location. It’s a huge puzzle with many different, and often changing, pieces. Sometimes students shine in externships, even if they may have struggled in class or on-campus clinic. They have worked hard up to this point and are eager to gain experience. When a good supervisor/graduate student fit is made, both will flourish!

Program’s Expectations:

Ask what the university’s expectations and requirements are. We respect your time so chances are the requirements are minimal. Remember that ASHA requires a minimum of 25% of client/patient contact be directly observed and all documentation needs to be reviewed and signed off by a licensed SLP. In our program at GWU, the only additional requirement we have outside of the ASHA requirement is a midterm and final evaluation completed about the student’s performance by the supervisor, which the supervisor should share directly with the student. Ours is a checklist and takes about 15 minutes to complete, so 30 minutes total for the semester. Any other requirements are set forth by each individual site and supervisor and we expect students to meet those.

Interview Student:

Interview the student prior to accepting them and give them time to ask you questions. Students have learned lots in their graduate program and clinic but there is still a learning curve in any new setting. University programs can’t expose them to everything in a classroom, so we send them to you to learn the setting-specific things, like electronic record systems, in addition to getting exceptional direct experience in the field. Students get foundational knowledge and a variety of experience with goal writing, report writing, giving evaluations, caregiver education, and implementing therapy but this varies by setting.

Ask the student what they know about general topics, then ask about specific experiences. Students may have a difficult time advocating for themselves and generalizing information learned from one setting to the next. For example, during an interview, a student might feel unprepared or frustrated because they haven’t given a specific test that is used frequently at the site. However, the student will have a general understanding of test administration and can use that information to learn a new evaluation tool….they likely just need a little prompting.

Another frequent example is the use of AAC. Students hear AAC and, while many have had some exposure to various devices, they may feel unprepared or intimidated. Some students automatically jump to thinking about unfamiliar, high-tech devices. With a little questioning, they may recall that they have had exposure to low-tech AAC with visual schedules, choice boards, etc. You may choose to prompt them with, “Tell me about your experience with AAC. Have you worked with clients who benefitted from the use of any low-tech systems, such as a visual schedule?”

Give Assignments:

Give the student something to practice, review, or read between the interview and the start date. Students are eager to learn as much as possible. They want to be prepared and impress their supervisor. Provide the student with techniques to research, evaluations to practice administering, or related articles to read that will help the externship start off smoothly. Students are typically anxious before beginning an externship and this will help them feel like they can put that nervous energy to use.

Your Expectations for Externship:

Review your expectations and the site expectations. Let the student know the time to arrive each day, the time they will be able to leave each day, the dress code, how you give feedback, how you want the student to ask questions, how much time they will have for sessions, and documentation, etc. Some of those may seem like common sense but they can vary across settings and can cause unnecessary stress for a student. Remember that students aim to please and they are quite hard on themselves. Always check in with your student, regularly. They want to get this right and may be hesitant to ask questions if they think it will make a bad impression.

Begin Externship:

Start the externship as soon as possible. Having the students start earlier, even a few days or one week gives them more time to get acclimated. ASHA mandates that students earn a total of 375 direct contact hours in order to graduate. It’s important that you know how many hours are needed from your site. Then make a plan, together, to meet that requirement. Students need time to review charts and observe your therapy techniques with clients. They can’t count this time as direct patient/client care (unless they are actively participating in the session). Students can feel like they are cheated out of hours at the beginning of the externship if there are many observation hours that cannot be counted. Creating a plan and giving them time to orient themselves, will go a long way to making it a smooth transition and maximizing the hours they can obtain.

Share stories:

Students are hard on themselves and sharing similar stories makes them feel understood. It also helps them to realize that they are exactly where they are supposed to be in the learning process. Students love hearing about past SLP experiences! This gives them the opportunity to learn about what their future may hold for them.

Check-in Frequently during Externship:

Check-in with your student about their expectations vs. reality. Students often start their externships with lofty dreams and when things don’t go as planned, they struggle with unrealistic expectations. They need to understand that there are pros and cons to every setting and every job. Students haven’t had much exposure to real-life experiences, yet, and having this conversation will go a long way in helping them see the reality, specifically all of the benefits that each setting has to offer.

Supervising an SLP graduate student can be one of the most rewarding parts of a fulfilling career. When you hear your student coaching a parent, treating a patient, or reassuring a client, you’ll feel pride knowing the influence you have had on that student and all their future clients!

Written by: Kari Comer M.S., CCC-SLP and Laura Barrett M.S., CCC-SLP

Previously posted on www.speechtherapypd.com

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For common interview questions, see Common Questions for SLP Clinical Practicum.