The MS in Speech-Language Pathology at Fontbonne University relies on the support and expertise of clinical educators across the region to help facilitate clinical skills in our graduate students. We greatly appreciate your dedication to our university and the field. On this page, you will find resources to assist you in the process of clinical supervision.

Below, you will find ASHA resources related to clinical instruction and supervision, forms to provide feedback, Typhon navigation strategies and more. If you have questions, please reach out to Dr. Lauren Wright-Jones at lwrightjones@fontbonne.edu.

10 Reasons to Supervise a Student

1. Develop and recruit future employees

2. Stay current — learn what students are learning

3. Share your expertise with future SLPs

4. Establish a relationship with university programs

5. Teach future SLPs to advocate for SLP services

6. Introduce students to interdisciplinary teaming

7. Feel good about giving back to the profession

8. Develop your mentoring and supervisory skills

9. Enhance your clinical skills by teaching someone else

10. Leave a legacy

Hopefully, through this experience, some of these will ring true for you. Thank you for partnering with our program in the development of future speech-language pathologists.

Fontbonne University students are expected to complete a minimum of two clinical placements off campus during their graduate program. Students are required to complete 3-5 full-time days at their clinical placement. This is heavily site-dependent, and if a full-time placement is required of the site, this should be discussed with the Director of Clinical Education, prior to the student beginning. While at the site, students are expected to do the following:

• Follow the schedule of the clinical educator on site (this includes attending during university breaks)

• Students must report any absences to the site clinical educator and the Director of Clinical Education through the absence report form

• Complete a minimum of 3 full-time days in the fall semester

• Complete a minimum of 4 full-time days in the spring semester

Additionally:

• The student clinician will have completed appropriate pre-requisite course work and clinical experiences.
• The dates and times of the placement will be determined by the university practicum coordinator and the facility.
• Students are expected to have regular attendance, be on time, and meet appropriate deadlines. Excused absences (such as illness, death in family, etc.) may be required to be made up at discretion of the clinical educator.
• Student clinicians are expected to follow all appropriate policies of the facility, such as complying with dress codes, following HIPAA guidelines, ASHA Code of Ethics, etc. Failure to do so may result in one of the following: lowering of grade, removal from practicum (for the day or permanently), or failure of practicum.
• Student clinicians are expected to keep track of their contact hours and competencies needed for graduation requirements.
• Students are expected to participate in all professional activities that are appropriate for the facility. These may include such things as (list not all-inclusive)
  • Direct Patient Contact
  • Evaluation
  • Development of treatment plans
  • Implementation of therapy
  • Client/family counseling
  • Client/family education
  • Screening/prevention activities
  • Other (Written reports-evaluation/discharge, Progress notes/treatment records, Attend/participate in team meetings, Attend/participate in in-services, Develop therapy materials, Assignments appropriate to the setting)

It is important to keep in mind that students are enrolled in courses full-time while completing their clinical practicums. All courses begin at 5 p.m. CST. Students are expected to be in their seat at the start of class. Because of this, on class days, students may need to leave a site early. However, this should be discussed at the beginning of the semester. Students meet with the Director of Graduate Studies 1-2 times each month. These meetings typically take place on Fridays from 12–2 p.m. Students should provide a detailed list of projected absences as a result of class meetings at the the start of the semester.

It is imperative that both the student and clinical educator set realistic expectations for the clinical placement. Students should provide clinical educators with the “Clinician information and experience sheet” prior to or on the first day of their clinical placement. This allows the clinical educator to better understand the clinical skills and academic experience the student is bringing into the placement.

Clinical educators that set clear expectations, timelines, and goals for their student clinician create a structured learning environment for the student and a framework for themselves that allows for more constructive feedback and evaluation.

Below, you will find an example timeline for skills and responsibilities (expectations for each week) of students in clinical placements (both education and medical).

• ASHA requires the clinical educators provide a minimum of 25% direct supervisio for all clients on a caseload. This number could be greater if the student’s skills and knowledge suggest additional need. Clinical supervision should provide for the safety and best interest of the client.

• Medicare and/or private insurance may require a higher level of direct supervision.

• While it may feel that supervision is the primary component of your role as a clinical educator, clinical education also requires student evaluation, feedback, and mentoring. These components aid students in developing the critical thinking which leads to clinical thinking, needed to be success practitioners.

What hours can a student count?

• Students are only allowed to count direct clinical clock hours for time spent in evaluation or treatment with the client or their family. While attending IEP meeting, REDs, Grand rounds, and other site-specific meetings is expected, those hours do not count towards the certification requirements, as they are not considered “direct contact” More information on this can be found here.