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Clinical Practicum

Introduction

The Communication Disorders Program is responsible for providing courses and training for students to meet the qualifications established by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Texas State Licensing Board in Speech-Language Pathology. The clinical training process begins with a series of three Internship practicums. Externship practicum placement is the culminating experience of your graduate education. You will have a chance to spend two semesters working with a professional in a public school, regional early intervention program, hospital, rehabilitation center, home health setting, or private practice. Each practicum you will be supervised by an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist who has demonstrated excellence in clinical service delivery and skill in supervision. External supervisors are unpaid clinical instructors of West Texas A&M University and have agreed to supervise the graduate student.

For more details regarding practices and procedures regarding clinical practicum please refer to the Graduate Clinical Handbook. 

 

Clinical Internship Practicum

CD 6398 Clinical Practicum

This course is designed to provide the student with supported experience in the delivery of clinical services. Each of the three internships offer direct instruction to assist the student clinician in developing necessary clinical skills. Prerequisites include graduate status in the speech-language pathology program and successful completion of the previous internship, as applicable.

Example Competencies for Internship:

  • The student will demonstrate appropriate personal and ethical professional conduct.
  • The student will demonstrate the ability to plan, conduct, and evaluate diagnostic procedures for speech-language disorders with assistance.
  • The student will demonstrate the ability to plan, conduct, and evaluate group and individual therapeutic procedures for speech-language disorders with assistance.
  • The student will demonstrate the ability to plan, conduct, and evaluate family and teacher conferences with assistance.
  • The student will demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of educational philosophy, structure, regulations, laws, and responsibilities.

 

Clinical Externship Practicum

CD 6399 Clinical Practicum:

This course is designed to provide supervised experience in other clinical settings served by speech-language pathologists. This clinical experience includes, but is not limited to: providing diagnostic and treatment services, completing appropriate paperwork to the setting (charts, reports, etc.) attending meetings, counseling patients and/or families, conducting an in-service, communicating with facility personnel regarding cases, scheduling, etc. This course is meant to be a challenging and exciting capstone experience during which you have the opportunity to integrate and apply all previously presented material, both academic and clinical. Prerequisites include satisfactory standing in the graduate program and successful completion of the previous CD 6398 clinical practica.

Students are placed in the Canyon-Amarillo area unless no placement is available. When that happens, placements are made as close to this area as possible. As an institution in Canyon-Amarillo, our classes and practicum sites are located in Canyon-Amarillo because we are required by ASHA to select and monitor all facilities and students place in those facilities. We are familiar with the people and the facilities and can make a successful match between students and supervisors. The clinical sites we use are exemplary and meet the ASHA standards. The supervisors and administrators have made a commitment to assist us in the education of our students. In distant locations, we can neither monitor the setting nor supervise students in person.

 

CD 6699 Clinical Practicum:

The final externship prior to graduation is designed to provide a continued supervised experience. One of the exciting possibilities related to this practicum is the flexibility in scheduling this externship locally, close to home, or even across the globe. See this article about a unique placement in Uganda. Prerequisites include satisfactory standing in the graduate program and successful completion of the CD 6398 and CD 6399 clinical practica.

Example Competencies for the Externship:

  • To demonstrate competence in evaluation and assessment of speech, language, and swallowing disordered clients.
  • To demonstrate competence in planning and implementing treatment programs for clients in assigned settings.
  • To interact professionally with staff in the facility.
  • To interact professionally with clients in the facility.
  • To demonstrate competence in counseling clients and their families
  • To demonstrate competence in evaluation and assessment of speech, language, and swallowing disordered clients.
  • To demonstrate competence in planning and implementing treatment programs for clients in assigned settings.

Note: The clinic coordinator is responsible for selecting the sites and matching students with these sites. Decisions are made based upon a variety of criteria, including clock hours needs, student strengths and limitations, supervision requirements, and a quality that is difficult to measure, the personality of the student and the supervisor. The clinic coordinator tries not to place a student who is highly structured, for example, with a supervisor who is relatively unstructured. 

 

WTAMU Communication Disorders Program Clinical Sites      

Internship Practicum Sites

  • On-Campus WTAMU CDP Speech and Hearing Clinic - Amarillo, Tx
  • Amarillo Speech, Language, and Audiology Services - Amarillo, Tx
  • Screenings at a variety of regional sites throughout the year

Externship Practicum Sites

  • Early Childhood Intervention - Amarillo, Tx
  • Region 16 Educational Services Center Early Childhood Intervention - Texas Panhandle Counties
  • Amarillo Independent School District (ISD) - Amarillo, Tx
  • Bushland ISD - Bushland, Tx
  • Canyon ISD - Canyon, Tx
  • Sanford Fritch ISD - Fritch, Tx
  • Baptist St. Anthony Hospital - Amarillo, Tx
  • Hereford Regional Medical Center - Hereford, Tx
  • Northwest Texas Hospital - Amarillo, Tx
  • Pampa Regional Medical Center - Pampa, Tx
  • Presbyterian Hospital - Dallas, Tx
  • Progressive Step Rehabilitation - Amarillo, Tx
  • Sears/Craig Methodist Retirement - Amarillo, Tx
  • Turn Center - Amarillo, Tx

In summary, the clinic coordinator and university supervisors have worked diligently to provide you the best experience possible. Please treat the staff members, families, and clients with appropriate respect and approach this activity as if it were a job. This means that you should demonstrate promptness, flawless attendance, professionalism, and impeccable ethical conduct. Please review the code of ethics and refer to it often.

 

Attendance

Attendance in both internship and externship practicum sites is expected to be 100%. Only serious illness or serious emergencies are acceptable excuses for absence. Excessive absences may result in either termination of the student's clinical experience or failure when the competencies have not been met.

 

Grade Assignments

Grades are assigned by the university supervisor with consultation by the site supervisor. The grade is conferred at the end of the semester based on a combination of clock hour accumulated, progress in performance during the semester, competencies attained, and objectives acquired. When a student is in danger of failing the Extern, a meeting is held mid-semester to inform the students of the deficiencies, and a plan is created to develop the deficiencies. Failure to make satisfactory progress will result in failure in the course. Please note, it may not be possible for a student to be warned of failure at mid-term.  As soon as it is clear to the on-site supervisor that the student has reached a plateau, the plan is developed at that time. It is, therefore, possible for a student to learn after the mid-term that failure is a possibility.

*ASHA requires a minimum of 400 clinical contact hours, with 25 being observation hours.*

 

Incomplete Grades

Withdrawal/Termination: In a situation of failure, or extreme emergency, a student may be withdrawn/terminated from the placement. In this case, the student may be provided with another placement the following semester. If the student does not successfully complete the second attempt, the student will be dismissed from the WTAMU CDP.

A student will also be removed from clinical practicum if a didactic course is not passed in the previous semester.