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| What is the Clinical Fellowship (CF)? |
The MedSLP Clinical Fellowship provides a bridge from academic training to the full demands of day-to-day practice. The CF provides students with their first opportunity to work as full-time employees, under the supervision of ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologists.
The CF is spent in a clinical setting performing all of the tasks of a certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Clinical settings include hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, private practices, and specialty clinics. |
| Why is the Clinical Fellowship (CF) required? |
The CF is one component of ASHA's requirements for earning the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). During this year the Clinical Fellow will:
- Learn to apply the academic knowledge
- Receive professional feedback from master clinicians
- Improve and refine clinical skill
- Become a competent, independent speech-language pathologist committed to evidence-based practice
How is working as a Clinical Fellow different from an offsite practicum placement?
- Students are placed in the community during their second year to fulfill graduate program practica requirements, which are prerequisites to working as a Clinical Fellow.
- Clinical Fellows are eligible for hire once all masters program didactic and clinical requirements are completed.
- Clinical Fellows and practicum students have different supervisory requirements, as outlined by ASHA.
- As employees, Clinical Fellows receive financial compensation and liability insurance coverage by their employers, and can bill for the services they provide, while students cannot.
- In order to work, Clinical Fellows must secure an interim permit from the state in which they will be employed. Practicum students do not require any special permits for their clinical placements.
How is working as a Clinical Fellow different from working as a professional Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)?
- Clinical Fellows must be supervised by one or more ASHA certified SLPs who provide ongoing feedback about the Clinical Fellow’s development, while SLPs work independently.
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The role of the Clinical Fellow’s supervisor includes direct monitoring, conferring with the Clinical Fellow on treatment strategies, and consultation with the Clinical Fellow’s colleagues, patients, and patients’ families.
- Clinical Fellows receive wages which are typically less than the salaries received by certified SLPs.
- To operate as independent practitioners, SLPs must successfully complete a CF and have a permanent state license and ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP).
- Clinical Fellows MUST obtain an interim permit from the state in which they work until they’ve met the requirements necessary for licensure and certification.
Do all graduate programs include the CF?
No, typically students must find their own CF after they complete graduate study. The UW MedSLP program is unique because it incorporates the CF into the graduate program. This approach provides Clinical Fellows with advanced program-based mentoring and faculty consultation to help them meet the many challenges faced during the CF, and ensures programmatic continuity, quality and focus throughout these years of professional training.
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