Clinical Practica:

 

On‑Campus Practica:

 

All requirements and responsibilities for on‑campus practica are presented in:

 

1.         CMD 461 ‑ The Clinical Practice of Speech‑Language Pathology. This course serves as an introduction to clinical work and as an opportuni­ty to complete, and have authorized, required observation hours;

 

2.         CMD 560 ‑ Speech‑Language Practi­cum A, the first clinical practicum experience in the Department;

 

3.         The Center for Communication Disorders (CCD) Manual of Operations. You will receive a copy of the CCD Manual when you start practicum;

 

4.         Orientation sessions for each clinical practicum conducted by the Director of the Center for Communication Disorders and/or coordinators or supervisors of practica;

 

5.         Clinical course meetings;

 

6.         Staffings: Clinicians and supervisors meet individually and in groups during the  practicum semester.

 

If your name appears on the Departmental practicum preregistration list you will be requested to complete a schedule of availability form for use in scheduling clinical appointments for the semester. YOU MUST FILL OUT THIS FORM COMPLETELY AND ACCURATELY AND RETURN IT ON OR BEFORE THE INDICATED DEADLINE OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE SEMESTER!!! When filling out the form be sure to include ample times you will be available to see clients. Non-available times should be class meeting times only. If you offer limited time you will be asked to participate in practicum when you have more time.

 

Clinical observations: Undergraduate SCSU CMD Specialization students and transfer students who have successfully completed CMD 461 – Clinical Practice of Speech-Language Pathology, will have completed 25 required clinical observation hours. Graduate students must accumulate a total of 25 hours of clinical observation prior to completing the CMD program.

 

Practica taken during the summer run through both A and B sessions (10 weeks).

 

Off‑Campus Practica:

 

After successful completion of all on‑campus practica, required course work, and achieving a "B" or better GPA, you may be considered for placement in an off‑campus practicum.

 

You are required to complete two practica external to the Departmen­t in a minimum of two different practica sites. Most speech‑language pathology (SLP) majors complete a practicum in a public/private school setting and in a hospital/rehabilitation setting. At times, off‑campus practica may be completed in a private practice office or community clinic. The Department requires at least 50 clini­cal contact hours in each of three different settings. State of Connecticut Teacher Certification for a school SLP requires a minimum of 100 practicum hours in a school setting. Off‑campus practica provide the opportunity to complete these requirements.

 

The two SLP off‑campus practica are CMD 562 ‑ Schools Practicum, and CMD 569 ‑ Neuropathologies Practicum (hospital/rehabilitation placement). These two courses are each accompanied by a seminar class which meets three or more times per semester. Each of these off‑campus practica carry 6 academic credits.

 

You are responsible for contacting the Departmental Coordinator of the off‑campus practicum in which you will enroll, and for providing a written statement of intent to enroll. This must be completed at least one full semester prior to taking the practicum and no later than: September 30th, for the Spring Semester; February 1st, for the Summer Semester; or, March 1st, for the Fall Semester.

 

It is the responsibility of the Departmental practica coordinators to initiate contact with off‑campus practica sites and supervisors. You are not to contact any site without a direc­tive from the appropriate practicum coordinator.

 

Your name must appear on the practicum preregistration placement list in order to enroll in an off‑campus practicum. There is a coordinator and a placement list for each of the off‑campus practica. If your name does not appear on the placement list you will not be able to take the practicum. Your name will automatically appear on the list if your course sequence sheet shows that you should be taking the practicum.

 

You are expected to participate in all clinical activities at your practicum site. You are to consider yourself as a member of the professional staff of the facility, participate accordingly and follow the facilities schedule. You must not request time-off from practicum responsibilities for any reason other than medical or family emergency. Clinical clock hours include only time spent in direct management of a client.

 

The on‑site practicum supervisor(s) will evaluate your emerging clinical competence and provide written comments regarding it to the CMD faculty off‑campus practicum coordinator. The coordinator assigns the final grade for the practicum based on the written performance indicators as well as other factors.

 

The off‑campus supervisor may engage the Departmental Clinical Support Panel for assistance in dealing with difficulties you may experience in your off‑campus practicum. An explanation of the Clinical Support Panel may be found under, Clinical Support Panel, in the, Departmental Academic Standards Committee, section of this handbook.

 

When taking the school practicum, you are expected to begin the practicum at the start of the school's term, to follow the school's sched­ule, and to continue in the practicum until the University semester ends. Further, you are expected, on a daily basis, to begin the practicum when the school opens in the morning, and continue until the school closes in the afternoon, 4.5 days per week or at any adjusted day schedule arranged by the Department. The Department reserves the right to make final decisions regarding off-campus practicum placements. Please be advised: you may not complete a school practicum at a site where you are employed or at a school in which an immediate family member is employed.

 

For the neuropathology practicum, time and day requirements are arranged by the practicum coordinator and the practicum supervisor. The practicum coordinator's decision prevails. You are expected to spend a minimum of 25 hours per week at the practicum and follow the facility’s schedule.

 

If you are taking an off‑campus practicum during the semester in which you plan to gradu­ate, clinical hours must be completed and recorded before a grade will be assigned for the practicum. A grade of "I" or "Q" will be recorded for off‑campus practicum courses in which hours have not been recorded. You cannot graduate with a non-rectified "I" or "Q" on your transcript. Remember, clinical hours for off‑campus practica must be reviewed and signed by your supervisor, so do not delay in getting these hours submitted to your supervisor, processed and then transmitted to the Department for recording.

 

Equipment, supplies, tests, forms, etc. may be not taken from the Center for Communication Disorders for use at an off‑campus site.

 

Please note: Students enrolled in any of the CMD on campus or off-campus practica may be required to engage in both diagnostic and therapy activities with clients of all ages who present with a wide range of communication disorders.

 

Practicum Grading: