Standard 3.6B Clinical Education - Settings & Population

The clinical education component of the NMU entry-level speech-language pathology program is designed to ensure students gain comprehensive and diverse practical experience across a variety of settings, populations, and age groups. The program provides access to a sufficient client base to meet its mission and goals, encompassing both on-campus and off-campus practicum opportunities.

On-Campus Practicum
Students will engage with clients exhibiting a range of speech, language, and swallowing disorders, including articulation deficits, cleft palate, autism, language and motor speech disorders, voice disorders, and brain injuries. Clients at the on-campus clinic will typically present with mild to moderate severity, offering foundational practice in evaluation and treatment. Students will also be introduced to administrative procedures, including completing billing forms with ICD-10 and CPT codes.

Off-Campus Clinical Practica
Students will extend their learning to diverse external clinical sites, including educational settings, medical facilities, and community-based programs. These experiences will involve treating clients across the lifespan—from birth to three, preschool, school-age, and adult populations, to geriatric clients. Students will work in various environments such as homes, schools, acute care, and long-term care facilities. Educational practicum sites will include exposure to IEP development, MedBills, and participation in interdisciplinary meetings, while medical settings will offer experience with billing practices, physician orders, and third-party payer processes.

Diversity and Scope
The program ensures exposure to clients from varied socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. Students will gain experience in local small urban settings and rural areas of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, providing insight into diverse socioeconomic and ideological contexts. Opportunities for externships in other geographic locations will further enhance cultural and linguistic diversity in clinical practice.

Overall, the program emphasizes the development of a wide range of clinical competencies through hands-on experiences that reflect the breadth and depth of speech-language pathology practice, preparing students to effectively meet the profession's challenges.

Supporting Documentation can be reviewed by following the links provided below.

• Updated Curriculum Table - Appendix IV
• Example of Student Academic & Clinical File

MS-SLP Affiliation Agreements with External Facilities

• Current Affiliation Agreements

MS-SLP Clinical Policies and Procedures

• MS-SLP Handbook of Clinical Policies and Procedures
  • Onsite and Offsite Clinical Practicum Experiences describe the policies and procedures used by the program to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational opportunities provided at each active site.
• CALIPSO - Cumulative Hours Form
  • Knowledge and Skills Inventory
• Clinical Practicum - Student Evaluation
• Clinical Practicum - Supervisor Evaluation
• Clinical Practicum - Clinical Placement Evaluation