SLP Clinical Practicum Expectations
As a clinical supervisor and externship coordinator at a university, I can’t say it enough- SLP community externship supervisors are a godsend for graduate programs! We depend on you to help graduate clinicians get well-rounded clinical experiences AND obtain the 375 clock hours needed to graduate. In order to help your graduate clinician begin their externship experience smoothly, I strongly recommend that you meet with them ahead of time to review all of the SLP clinical practicum expectations. Below are more tips.
We need you 🫵🏼
Did you know that:
🌎 Graduate clinicians can complete an externship anywhere in the world as long as they are supervised by a CCC-SLP;
📆 The demand for SLPs is predicted to grow by 25% between 2019-2029;
📊 Over the next 10 years, approximately 40,500 SLP jobs will become available in the U.S. due to medical advances, client growth, and professionals retiring/leaving.
The key takeaway is that graduate programs, graduate clinicians, and clients need you 🫵🏼 to help educate the next generation of SLPs. Whether you are a seasoned SLP or brand new, taking on a graduate clinician can be overwhelming. However, the benefits far outweigh any of the negatives. When there are negatives, it usually has to do with miscommunication.
There is a steep learning curve when taking on new responsibilities such as acclimating to a new site and supervisor. Not to mention, all sites are different. The expectations in a school are different than in a hospital. Reviewing the small and big things with graduate clinicians will go a long way.
Review Expectations for Caseload
Before the SLP clinical practicum begins, take time to meet with the graduate clinician and review the caseload and your expectations. We all get anxious when we don’t know what to expect. So, help the clinician out by discussing the:
- Approximate number of clinical hours the clinician will receive each week– This includes direct contact hours with clients but let the clinician know about the variables that impact this, such as client absences or vacations, and what to do to reschedule if needed. Some clinicians may need all of the contact hours they can get.
- Number of clients a clinician will see each day and each week– Some sites will have groups and some won’t. Giving the clinician a heads-up about the number of clients to expect in each session is helpful. You may need to talk about behavior management and how to document those hours (*they can only count the time per encounter, not per individual in the group; so a 45-minute group with 3 clients is still counted as one 45-minute encounter).
- Types of interactions they will have with caregivers (and where to do this)– Graduate clinicians can provide caregiver education BUT a supervising SLP must be present. They are not allowed to make recommendations on their own. So, make sure the graduate clinician knows the boundaries when interacting with caregivers and the HIPAA-safe space to do so.
- Additional obligations the clinician should attend– Graduate clinicians should be on site as much as possible and do everything the supervising SLP does, such as attend IEP meetings, in-services, and caregiver meetings. They are there to learn about treatment and evaluations as much as they are there to learn about the administrative parts of the job such as scheduling and meetings.
- Documentation requirements– Documentation really varies across sites and it’s not something we can easily relay in graduate school. Most university clinics won’t have EMRs. Allocate time to review all the required documentation, including the format, due dates, and instructions on how to submit it.
- Personal needs– Review things like where the bathroom is, lunchtime, and where the student can work in between sessions. These little things will take a lot of pressure off of the student.
Put it in writing
After reviewing expectations with your graduate clinician, put them in writing and create a contract. Humans can only remember so much information from one interaction. Creating a written contract will provide the graduate clinician with something that they can go back to and review. It also eliminates confusion about what is expected. I can say as an externship coordinator, the biggest reason for challenges at externships has to do with miscommunication. So, write down what is expected and also make it clear that things can change at any time (i.e., client cancellations, schedule changes, etc.).
A helpful contract should include:
📆 The graduate clinician’s schedule and yours
⏰ Daily arrival and departure time
✒️ Plan for taking over your caseload
🗓 First and last days, as well as holidays
😷 What to do if sick or late
💻 Required documentation and due dates/times
View an example clinical practicum contract HERE.
What are your SLP clinical practicum expectations? Let us know below