When it comes to providing quality healthcare, having adequate staffing is crucial. A case in point is speech therapy, which requires specialized training and expertise. 

Here, we’ll define speech therapy staffing, explain its importance, and examine its benefits.

Qualifications Required for Speech Therapists

Speech therapists sometimes referred to as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are required to have a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. 

They must also hold certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and be licensed by the state in which they practice. 

Specialization and experience can also play a role in determining qualifications for speech therapists.

Importance of Adequate Speech Therapy Staffing

Having adequate speech therapy staffing can have a significant impact on patient outcomes. Speech therapy can help patients with various conditions, including speech and language disorders, cognitive impairments, and swallowing difficulties.

Without proper staffing, patients may not receive the care they need promptly and effectively. Adequate staffing can also improve healthcare facilities’ overall quality of care, ensuring that patients receive the attention they require.

Benefits of Hiring a Speech Therapy Staffing Agency

One way that healthcare facilities can address these challenges is by working with a speech therapy staffing agency. 

These agencies specialize in recruiting and placing speech therapists in various settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and schools. 

Both school speech therapy staffing agencies and outpatient speech therapy staffing agencies can provide access to a pool of qualified candidates and can help reduce recruitment and training costs. 

Working with a speech therapy staffing agency can also provide flexibility in staffing, allowing facilities to adjust their staffing levels as needed.

Speech Therapy Staffing Models

Healthcare facilities can use several different staffing models for speech therapy staffing. In-house staffing involves hiring speech therapists directly as employees. 

Contract staffing involves working with a staffing agency to provide temporary or permanent staff. 

Hybrid staffing involves a combination of in-house and contract staffing. As with any model, there are advantages and disadvantages, and facilities should choose the model that best suits their needs.

Impact of Speech Therapy Staffing on Healthcare Facilities

Adequate speech therapy staffing can have a positive impact on healthcare facilities. 

It can lead to improved patient satisfaction, higher productivity, and better financial performance. 

Providing high-quality speech therapy services can also help facilities stand out from their competitors, attracting more patients and increasing revenue.

Best Practices for Managing Speech Therapy Staffing

To ensure the success of speech therapy staffing, healthcare facilities should follow best practices for managing their staff. 

This includes regular communication with the staffing agency, a collaborative approach to staffing, and ongoing training and development for speech therapists.


Conclusion

Speech therapy staffing is an important aspect of healthcare that should not be overlooked. Working with a speech therapy staffing agency can provide access to a pool of qualified candidates and reduce recruitment and training costs. 

By following best practices for managing staff and choosing the right staffing model, healthcare facilities can provide high-quality speech therapy services to their patients. 

If you are looking for SLP-CF jobs in RI, reach out to a speech therapy clinic in Rhode Island to learn more.

Tracking student progress is one of the most crucial components of a child’s journey in special education. Data collection allows us to provide children with the best possible interventions and actively impact their education. Special educators, occupational, physical, speech-language, and behavior therapists all use SMART goals as an efficient way to support intervention planning and data collection.  SMART is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. The SMART template provides a consistent structure for goal-writing. They are widely recognized in education and help professionals ensure that the goal includes all necessary components.  

 

S: Specific

 

Educators should write goals with definitive criteria. Break down anything that might be considered vague. ‘Play-group’ could be described more specifically as ‘a teacher-facilitated recess group with five same-age peers.’ If the child has to switch school districts without notice, the new educators should easily distinguish all the goal criteria. Don’t forget to include any adaptive equipment, modifications, or cues that the student will use to meet their target.  

 

M: Measurable

 

This part of the goal reveals the intended outcome and helps track progress. To improve a goal, add one specific behavior that an educator can measure. For example, “Hakim will initiate three social interactions with peers, as measured by teacher data collection” rather than “Hakim will participate in a play-group.” Be sure to include who will collect the data or if there will be an observation period, retesting, or portfolio collection.  

 

A: Attainable

 

When a child qualifies for special education or transitions into a program, they undergo a thorough evaluation. The evaluation should contain the child’s present levels of educational performance. Use this information to create goals that are attainable within the term of the IEP. If a child is currently speaking with one-word responses, it is unrealistic to expect them to use an average of six words per sentence within a year. Use their present levels along with your clinical reasoning to determine what is an attainable goal.  

 

R: Relevant

 

Does the goal fit into the context of the child accessing their education? Does it make sense given the child’s individual learning profile and needs? If it is unclear, try using vocabulary that ties the goal back to the student’s educational needs. If it still doesn’t fit, consider what the team wants to prioritize to ensure that the goal is relevant.  

 

T: Time-bound

 

The goal should be attainable within the timeframe of the IEP. An IEP is typically valid for one year. However, if a related service gets added to the plan mid-year, the specialist will create goals for a shorter time. To ensure that you are using the correct timeframe, look for the next annual IEP date and write it into the goals. Refer back to this part of the goal to check that the target is attainable.  

 

Do your goals pass the SMART test?  Try using this easy acronym to structure your goals and use the results to track progress more clearly. 

 

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders of childhood. The CDC estimates that between 3 and 7% of school-aged children have ADHD. Characterized by inattention, impulsivity and/or hyperactivity, ADHD impacts many areas of a child’s life. This includes social participation with peers and relationships with adults, academics, executive functioning skills like organization and time management, and more. Pediatricians may recommend medication and/or a variety of non-pharmaceutical interventions.  

 

Nonpharmacological Interventions

 

Behavior modification: This intervention involves using behavioral strategies in everyday routines to provide structure, reward positive behavior, and communicate expectations. Examples of behavior modification may include:

  • A token system.
  • Use of a communication app between home and school.
  • The use of a written or visual routine.

These methods effectively improve academic and social performance and are even more impactful when carried over in different environments such as school and home.  

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Also known as CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy involves self-management that results in behavior modification. The process involves identifying and challenging problematic thoughts and behaviors and replacing them with practical actions. A child may learn and practice problem-solving, role-playing, and the ability to redirect, instruct and guide themselves. Strategies take into account the child’s strengths and goals.   

 

Environmental Modifications: Children with ADHD are more likely than their peers to be overresponsive to sensory input; thus, the classroom can be more difficult for them to navigate. Modifying the environment to support the child’s nervous system functioning may include:

  • Providing preferential seating, so they are facing away from high-traffic areas such as cubbies or hallways
  • Providing access to noise-canceling headphones
  • Removing distracting classroom decorations
  • Offering a ‘cozy corner’ with decreased visual and auditory stimulation
  • Providing scheduled heavy work motor breaks

 

Sensory Integration: Sensory integration is a specific intervention approach used by occupational therapists. This sensory-rich therapy allows children to process and integrate different kinds of sensory input in a controlled environment. Therapists look for adaptive responses such as decreased impulsivity or the ability to tolerate increased volume without having a meltdown. The ultimate goal is that eventually, changed neurology results in more consistent appropriate responses to sensory stimulation.    

 

Activity Modifications: For the child with ADHD, a multi-step activity can become overwhelming and result in behaviors or withdrawal. Breaking down large tasks into manageable chunks can allow the child to experience success. Reduce the size of homework or the amount of written material on handouts. Focusing on quality rather than quantity can enable these children to showcase their best work.  

 

Social Skills Training: Social skills training provides children with ADHD the opportunity to learn and practice social skills. Several professionals use this intervention, and intervention may include education, use of social protocols, modeling, role-playing, practice in the community, and more.  

 

Team Collaboration: When a child’s disability impacts their participation at school, the child’s team may adopt an IEP or 504 plan. Children benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration, and the team may consist of the parents or caregivers, the child’s physician, special education teacher, regular education teacher, social worker, counselor, or occupational therapist. Since ADHD impacts multiple areas of functioning, each profession can contribute its specialty. For example, the physician can help team members understand side effects, and the occupational therapist can suggest sensory strategies.  The child, family, and team all benefit from collaboration. 

 

References

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007).  Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/

DuPaul, G. J. (2007) School-based intervention for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Current status and future directions.  School Psychology Review, 36, 183-194.

Toplak, M. E., Conners, L., Shuster, J., Knezevic, B., & Parks, S.  (2008). Review of cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, and neural-based interventions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Clinical Psychology Review, 5, 801-803. 

Children with ASD often qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a Section 504 plan.  Each of these programs promotes support for students to access their learning environment.

Anyone on the IEP team can suggest accommodations: Teachers, behavior analysts, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and even parents and administrators.  Each student should have accommodations in place to best support their unique needs.  Common adaptations fall into the cognitive, sensory, behavioral, emotional, and communication domains.

 

Cognitive

 

  • Pre-teaching. This involves giving children a heads-up before diving into a lesson or new routine.  You can use this accommodation to pre-teach an upcoming fire drill, a new teacher joining the classroom, or novel lesson concepts.
  • Provide short, concise directions. Clear directions that are understandable to the student can give a child a successful start and reduce confusion.
  • Visuals cues. Picture cues are essential for children who are not reading independently.  Visuals are often used as schedules that children can reference with independently or with support.
  • Active learning opportunities. This might include experiential learning, incorporating movement, or selecting materials that align with the child’s interests.
  • Break down large tasks. Rather than providing the child with a 10-step sequence, break down intimidating tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks.

 

Sensory

 

  • Reduction of visual clutter. Students overresponsive to visual input can become highly distracted by busy posters, toy shelves, and excess writing on a printed page.
  • Access to a quiet space or noise-canceling headphones. This will allow the child to regulate if the classroom feels too loud.
  • Flexible seating. The opportunity to move and change positions can help many children with ASD self-regulate and attend.
  • Provide directions to more than one sense. This often looks like a teacher presenting verbal directions and a visual cue simultaneously.  Communicating to two different senses helps children understand what is expected.

 

Behavioral

 

  • Preferential seating. Specify if the student needs to sit near a teacher, facing away from a visually stimulating area or somewhere else.
  • Consistent programming among adults. Children with ASD thrive off of routines.  Adults should be consistent with scheduling, rules, and expectations.
  • Positive reinforcement. Reward appropriate behavior with praise, incentives, or a token system.
  • Small group instruction. This can be a behavioral or academic accommodation and reduces sensory and social demands.

 

Emotional

 

  • Deep pressure breaks. Deep pressure helps many children feel calm and connected.  You can carry out deep pressure by giving the student a weighted ball massage, presenting a weighted lap pad, or letting them wear a Lycra body sock.
  • Zones of Regulation. The Zones curriculum can be carried out across school and home environments and give children the language and tools to practice self-regulation.

 

Communication

 

  • Modeling.A common strategy that is often included in an IEP is adult modeling for peer interactions or self-talk.
  • Assistive technology. One essential accommodation for children with autism spectrum disorder involves communication devices.  Both low and high-tech devices help a child communicate.  Be specific in the language of this accommodation by specifying if a child needs a PECs system, an alternative and augmentative communication system, or another device.

Creating IEP accommodations is a collaborative process.  Different disciplines will bring a unique perspective on supporting the child with an autism spectrum disorder.  It is helpful to attend the meeting with suggestions and ideas but stay open-minded to hear views from the entire team.

 

 

The expectation for kids to start writing is getting earlier and earlier all of the time.  However, the youngest children don’t have the physical development needed to use the small muscles in their fingers and hands to hold and control a pencil.  Writing is a foundational learning skill that helps requires visual-motor integration, bilateral coordination, midline crossing, etc.  It is correct that it is an important skill to master.  But how do you get young children started before jumping in with a pencil and paper?  Read on for several ideas to help kiddos get ready to write without actually writing.  

 

Strengthen Big Muscles First

 

For a person to write successfully, they need to be able to stabilize their upper arm.  If the movement comes from their shoulder joint when they write, they will get tired out quickly.  Use play to strengthen the upper body.  Wheelbarrow walking, crawling, and animal walks all work well for this.  For an extra fun activity, tape a big piece of paper to the bottom of a child-sized table.  The child can lie underneath it and straighten their arm to paint. 

 

Get vertical!

 

Tape a piece of paper to a wall or find an easel with a chalkboard or blackboard.  Let the child color to their heart’s content.  Kids enjoy the novelty of this activity, and it allows for practice with grasp and getting the wrist into the correct position for writing.  If this feels tricky, tape a sheet of paper to the wall and let them place stickers on it for a similar effect. 

 

Draw!

 

Creating simple drawings is a great way to work on visual-motor integrations skills.  Sometimes referred to as hand-eye coordination, visual-motor integration involves using coordinated movements to make marks with intention.  Start with easy drawings and work your way up. An excellent progression could be drawing a smiley face, then a person, then a teddy bear.  First, demonstrate how to make it so that your child can copy you.  For ideas and inspiration, check YouTube or your local library for drawing guides. 

 

Letter Recognition

 

Letter recognition is a part of learning to write.  Point out letters in books, on signs, blocks, and in their name.  Focus on capital letters, to begin with since those are the first letters they will most likely learn to write.  Alphabet magnets are a popular exploration item.  With adult support, kids can start learning the names of the letters and recognize them. 

 

Write… But Not On Paper

 

Practice creating letters in new and different ways!  Try rolling out play-doh letters, making letters with sticks, lines and curves cut out of paper, Legos, and anything else you have handy.  You can make a sensory tray with a box lid and fill it with rice or salt to trace letters.  As a bonus, many children are kinesthetic learners, and this activity can help reinforce the other work you do. 

 

Kid-Size Tools

 

When the concepts and skills are coming together, and your child is ready to start writing letters, use child-sized writing utensils.  This promotes the development of a mature grasp.  Start with bits of chalk and broken crayons.  For older kids, try golf pencils. 

Transitions are a part of everyday life at home and school.  However, they can be challenging for children and adults alike, and the demands can be complex!  During transitions, the sensory environment is more stimulating, and expectations are often higher than during lessons or structured activities.  Often there is more noise in the room, lots of movement, and visual distractions.  We expect students to follow multiple-step directions and navigate their bodies through the room while their peers do the same.  The following strategies offer ideas to support our students during this frequent occurrence in the school day.  


1.  Calendar


Younger classrooms often have a visual schedule, but older kiddos can benefit too!  Offer a written plan for students who can read.  When a child asks what is next, refer them to the schedule to teach them to use it.  As adults, we often use our planners or apps to keep track of our days.  Learning to check a calendar is a tool that kids can use in their childhood and beyond.  Be sure to keep your schedule updated to prevent unexpected changes.  


2.  Provide a Warning


Unexpected transitions are more challenging.  Think of the last time you experienced a surprise fire drill.  It feels alarming and dysregulating!  Many children feel this way during routine changes.  A simple way to prevent this is by giving the group advance notice of the upcoming transition.  You can direct this by announcing how much time they have left or making it more concrete.  For example, let them know they can color one more shape, and then they will wash their hands.  


3.  Keep It Structured


We have children with a variety of needs in our classrooms.  It can be challenging to develop a transition routine when you have students who need different supports.  Some children will complete the transition quickly and become impatient or unsure of what to do while waiting for the next direction.  Offer an activity to keep the structure going.  For example, when children complete an art project, they can grab a book and return to their seats.  When they finish lunch, they can pick a center.  


4.  Sing it! Move it!


An efficient strategy for younger ones, singing provides a constant familiar activity while students complete their transition.  You can use the same songs for daily changes to give an extra level of consistency.  Similarly, offering a movement activity can provide a motor break and support the flow of the transition.  Try marching to the bathroom, tip-toeing to cubbies, or walking heel-to-toe to another room.  


5.  Recognize a Job Well Done!


Transitions are a complex routine to learn for young children.  Provide plenty of praise for students who follow directions and stay regulated.  Providing positive reinforcement helps students understand what expected behavior looks like by observing what their peers are doing well.  


CBS Therapy is passionate about helping children with special needs and serving the schools, therapists, and families who support them. New England’s premier provider of school-based and special education staffing services in the Northeast, CBS Therapy also has therapy clinics that offer speech-language, occupational and physical therapy services.  


Anxiety disorders occur on a spectrum and can impact children in a variety of ways.  Some children may deal with low levels of apprehension, while other children develop severe and intense anxiety.  While students with anxiety will benefit from the following recommendations, consider implementing them in larger groups such as classrooms or group therapy.  This promotes an inclusive environment from which all learners can benefit.

Use structure:

Incorporate daily and weekly routines to help children learn what to expect.  Post schedules in a visible area.  This is especially important for older children who have rotating or complex schedules.  If there are any upcoming changes in routines (such as a substitute or a fire drill), give children advance notice whenever possible.

 

Provide a ‘just right’ challenge:

Allow students to learn and grow while building their self-confidence.  Grade your activities so that they are just challenging enough to stretch the child’s learning. 

 

Offer choice: 

By using a topic, subject, or medium that is exciting to students, they will naturally gravitate toward engagement.  Especially when an assignment or activity is new and daunting, a small piece of choice can motivate children toinitiate the task.  This could include anything from designing a math problem based on their favorite sports team to giving a book report on their favorite classic.

 

Use positive feedback:

Positive reinforcement signals to children that they are doing what is expected and can be a great way to boost the confidence of children who have anxiety.  Feedback can be in the form of a token system, a smile, nod, or words of affirmation. 

 

Teach challenging skills: 

Sometimes, learners need extra direction.  Direct instruction can be a great way to improve skills and, therefore, confidence for activities with a physical component, such as writing or playing a sport.  Break down tasks into smaller chunks, demonstrate skills to your students, and practice.

 

Use clear expectations:

Letting students know exactly what you expect is a great way to communicate mutual respect. Particularly when a project or activity is brand new, knowing the outcome will be helpful to children with anxiety.

 

Be flexible about participation: 

Try making group participation optional.  Let students know that they can contribute to the conversation when they are ready and that you will not call on them. 

 

Eliminate busywork:

A child working on fractions does not need to complete 100 problems to master the skill and demonstrate competence.  If a worksheet looks overwhelming or visually ‘busy ,’ it could likely benefit from being revised or broken up into smaller assignments. 

 

Identify strengths:  

Use one-on-one time to reflect on past successes, strengths, passions, and skills.  If you want to use an example in a group setting to provide an example of problem-solving skills, ask for student permission beforehand.

 

Teach self-management: 

Another strategy that students with and without anxiety disorders can benefit from is self-management skills.  Talk about self-regulation, brainstorm symptoms of being dysregulated, develop language, and teach strategies.  Use examples from your personal life to connect with students and demonstrate the importance of this life skill.

Documentation for therapy services can be a time-consuming yet essential component of service delivery. Many practitioners and clinicians attempt to streamline their daily note process. Some critical details should not be overlooked, though it is still possible to create a concise note while including everything that reimbursement experts need to see.

 

Many professions, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, ABA therapists, and others, use SOAP notes for their daily sessions. SOAP is an acronym that stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. SOAP notes are valuable because they provide information about different therapy components, and since therapists use them widely, the interdisciplinary team can use them as a means of timely communication. 


S: Subjective: What is the client saying about their experience?

Subjective information may include reports of pain, challenges since the last session, or what the client shares they can or cannot do. You may record behavior during the session for pediatric clients, including arousal level and engagement in therapy. You can also include reports from the client’s family or teachers. 


O: Objective: What are you observing? What data can you collect?

Include any compensatory strategies your client uses, physical or cognitive strategies for participation, and data you collect. The objective section could include the percentage of trials completed correctly and the client’s level of support needed to perform the activity. If your client needed any adaptive equipment, assistive technology, or modification of a task, include that information here as well. It is vital to make sure that you focus on the active experience of the client rather than the therapist. For example, note that the “Client needed moderate physical assistance for bathroom mobility” rather than “Provided moderate physical assistance to the client.”  


A: Assessment: What is your interpretation?  

Consider what you wrote in the subjective and objective categories. What does this mean? You’ll use your clinical expertise to interpret the information into an analysis of the client’s performance. Note any improvement, regression, or progress toward your client’s goals. Refer back to the subjective and objective categories to support your assessment. 


P: Plan: What is going to happen next?

Include the frequency, duration, and location of recommended services. If you are recommending discharge, include specific information about recommendations for follow-up. Otherwise, include detailed information about your intervention plan and how you will use it to address the problems noted in this session.   Daily documentation and SOAP notes are a tool that are essential to all parties involved in therapy:


  • The client: Timely and thorough documentation informs the therapist that they are making progress and are responsive to the selected interventions.  
  • Professionals: Since SOAP notes are commonly used in healthcare, SOAP notes can help the interdisciplinary team communicate quickly and effectively.  
  • Payors: Reimbursement parties can be assured that the intervention is effective and taking place.  
  • The therapist: Recording comprehensive notes allows the therapist to provide ethical, evidence-based service and meet the client’s ongoing needs. 

CBS Therapy is the premier provider of school-based and pediatric special education staffing services in the Northeast.  

Now more than ever, children with special needs benefit from effective collaboration by their interdisciplinary providers.  On a given IEP team, a child may have special education, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, applied behavior analysis, and more.  In many cases, several of these practitioners may see the child only one time per week.  So, what about the rest of the time when the specialists are not in?  It is our responsibility to collaborate to provide the child with as much carryover as possible.   

 

  1. Schedule designated times for collaboration: It is not uncommon for teachers and therapists to have an impromptu quick chat in the hallway.  While this gives professionals a moment to touch base, it simply does not offer the time, needed preparation, or quality of a pre-planned meeting.  Periodically-scheduled verbal meetings are the evidenced-based standard (Huang et al., 2011).  
  2. Have an agenda: Be sure to recommend a brief agenda for your aforementioned planned collaboration time.  This allows the team to prioritize needs, do any preparatory tasks prior to meeting, and share goals and ideas to make the collaboration time more effective (Hart Barnett & O’Shaughnessy, 2015).  
  3. Don’t forget about those communication skills: While we are all very busy, make the most of your time by being fully present in the meeting.  This translates to active listening; making eye-contact; asking clarifying questions; and paraphrasing to ensure understanding.  
  4. Share your role: The specific role of specialists is not always well-known by teachers, parents or other team members.  At the beginning of collaboration, define your role as related to the case.  This sets a foundation for collaboration in which other professionals will know when to consult you for ideas and strategies.  Evidence even shows that better collaborative outcomes occur when the role of therapists is known (Suc et al., 2017).  
  5. Embed your services: Embedding services into the classroom routine benefits the student, teacher, and provider!  How?  Sharing a space results in natural communication opportunities, better understanding of the classroom context for the provider, more carryover of specialist strategies in the classroom, and generalizable skills.  
  6. Use your tools:  Providers commonly use multi-modal learning strategies with children, but the rest of the interdisciplinary team can benefit from them too.  Tap into your intervention strategies and offer modeling, role-playing, coaching, and problem-solving.  When a provider or therapist can successfully carryover strategies from another specialist, the child (and the whole interdisciplinary team) benefit.  
  7. Include the child’s caregivers:  Whenever possible, include the child’s parents or caregivers for collaboration.  These valuable team members can offer insight onto strategies that they have had success with and often appreciate the ability to communicate with several providers at once.    

 

 

References:

Hart Barnett, J. E., & O’Shaughnessy, K.  (2015).  Enhancing collaboration between occupational therapists and early childhood educators working with children on the autism spectrum.  Early Childhood Education Journal, 43, 467-472.  

Huang, Y., Peyton, C. G., Hoffman, M., & Pascua, M.  (2011).  Teacher perspectives on collaboration with occupational therapists in inclusive classroom pilot study.  Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 4(1), 71-89.  

Suc, L., Bukovec, B., & Karpljuk, D.  (2017).  The role of inter-professional collaboration in developing inclusive education: Experiences of teachers and occupational therapists in Slovenia.  International Journal of Inclusive Education 21(9), 938-955.

Goals to Achieve During a Clinical Fellowship Year for SLP

You’ve worked hard in school and reached the point where it is time to put your new knowledge into practice. Moving from the university classroom into a clinical fellowship is an exciting transition – giving you hands-on experience that will prepare you to start your new career.

Not only is choosing the right CFY program critical to your success, but also consider how your intention and efforts will affect your results in the future. As you step into this new chapter, hold onto clear goals so you can gain the best knowledge and skills during your fellowship year.

5 Goals for Your Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY)

This 36-week program prepares students to move into real-life career opportunities, with ongoing application and training that will support their future. This fellowship is required to achieve your Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP) through ASHA, the American Speech and Hearing Association.

While it’s essential to complete the requirements to gain certification, there are other goals you will achieve through this program:

  1. Integrate Academic Learning: After spending years in the classroom, it’s time to implement your education and skills. Moving into a practice environment helps you see real-world examples of how your new knowledge is essential for your ongoing career.
  2. Hone in Areas of Opportunity: This hands-on experience provides clarity to help you identify your strong points as well as areas of improvement. The opportunity to work under supervision is a great way to receive feedback and advice to improve your skills and approach as an SLP.
  3. Improve Clinical Skills: Understanding the textbook principles is just the first step in your education. Your CFY is the time to learn the clinical skills and techniques to use for patient care. Integrating the concepts and stratigies you learned in graduate school into managing a full-time SLP caseload will be a key goal of your CFY.
  4. Transition to Independence: During your CFY, you will spend a lot of time working under the supervision of a certified SLP. This supervision creates the opportunity for transition to start working as an independent Speech-Language Pathology practitioner. By the end of your CFY you should have the tools and confidence to practice independently.
  5. Complete Certification Requirements: The CCC-SLP requires you to meet specific requirements before earning certification, such as 1,260 hours of supervision, 80% of your time focused on patient care, supervision from an approved mentor, and an evaluation to measure core skills.

Why CBS Therapy for Your Clinical Fellowship?

Our team at CBS Therapy is committed to providing an optimal experience for Clinical Fellows. As you learn more about our program, you will see that our SLPs are working hard to provide the most comprehensive CFY program available in the industry.

We are proud to offer more than 13 years of experience supervising Clinical Fellows. Through every stage of your 36-week program, we provide ongoing support to help you build confidence through your training. In-depth training paired with personalized mentoring helps you apply your academic education to a clinical training environment. If you are interested in more information about this program, then we invite you to reach out to our team with your questions.

Any questions? Give us a call!

401-270-9991

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