Students working with children at a table

Clinical Placements

On-Campus Placements (SLP 515)

Students complete a minimum of three on-campus placements in the SUNY Buffalo State Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic. Clinic assignments are varied each semester to ensure students experience a range of disorders and age groups as well as supervisor perspectives. The Clinic Director makes all on-campus assignments. 

Off-Campus Placements (SLP 505 and SLP 611) 

Students in the second year of the program are placed in two distinct community settings. Students without prior student teaching experience complete one of the placements in a public school in the Buffalo area. Those students who have completed student teaching during their undergraduate program will complete a placement in an early intervention or preschool setting. All students complete a placement with adults. These placements are typically full-time for half of the semester. The university (SUNY) has clinical affiliation agreements with a large number of sites in the Western New York area. Settings include all major hospital systems, clinics, not-for-profit agencies, early intervention programs, day habilitation programs, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing facilities. Students are given the opportunity to request the type of placement they would like to experience but may not request a specific placement or contact any community agency to arrange a placement. 

Note: All assignments are made by the department.

Clinical Practicum Details

First year at Buffalo State

  • Students are assigned clients on campus all 3 semesters (fall, spring, summer). 
  • “On campus” clinic may include in-person sessions within the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic and/or at two area private schools as well as virtual sessions completed via a secure platform.

Second year at Buffalo State

  • Students will be off campus for two semesters, completing 1 placement in a student teaching experience and 1 assignment in a graduate externship. 
  • The order of placements in the second year will be determined by your academic roadmap.

Full-time off-campus experiences: Typically 8-9 weeks

Part-time graduate externships: May be for the entire semester

Supervisors
You typically have 1-2 supervisors each semester. Infrequently, you may have 3.

  • The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (i.e., ASHA) mandates a minimum of 400 hours from diverse experiences/disorders/ages/populations.
  • Twenty-five of those 400 hours are gained from guided clinical observation, while 375 hours are earned from direct client contact. 
  • Students will also earn evaluation and therapy contact hours by completing simulated cases online, with a maximum of 75 hours (or 50 hours for Canadian students) of the 375-hour total attained via this method. 
  • Telepractice services may also be offered.

Note: 325 hours need to be attained at the graduate level; some students may have earned undergraduate clinical hours beyond observation. 

  • Preparation for fall clinic starts as early as summer. 
  • An extensive, mandatory 3-week clinical orientation program is hosted at the beginning of the fall semester to prepare students to start clinic. 
  • Fall clinical assignments are given at the end of the orientation.
  • Various modules have been created and posted on Brightspace, a classroom and organizational learning management system used to assist with student preparation for and execution of evidence-based practice (i.e., EBP). 
  • Students may earn badges in some of the modules.
  • Students will be assigned to a diagnostic team to conduct speech-language evaluations during 2 of 3 semesters. 
  • Evaluations routinely last 2 hours. 
  • Students will participate in hearing screenings and evaluations during the semester when not assigned to a speech-language evaluation team.
  • Clinical hours and experiences are currently cataloged using the Typhon Group student tracking system. 
  • A one-time fee is paid by the student and affords access to this tracking system during the 2-year graduate program and for 3 years afterward.
  • Clients are typically scheduled for services twice per week. Some clients attend once per week. 
    Session lengths can vary from 30 to 45-minute sessions depending on clients and settings to provide breadth and depth of experience. 
  • A typical student assignment may include 2-3 clients per semester. 
  • Assignments change each semester. 
  • Depending on how the semester schedule evolves, students may have clinic 2-3 days per week or 4-5 days per week. 
  • Services are also provided at satellite programs in local private schools, providing group and push-in therapy. 
  • Summer services are often busier due to the shortened semester and execution of various specialty clinics.

Students will see clients with any or a combination of the following ASHA “Big 9” disorders:

  • Articulation/Phonology 
  • Fluency (Stuttering or Cluttering) 
  • Voice/Resonance 
  • Swallowing 
  • Receptive/Expressive Language 
  • Cognitive Aspects of Communication 
  • Social Aspects of Communication (i.e., Pragmatics) 
  • Communication Modalities (i.e., Augmentative and Alternative Communication – AAC) 
  • Hearing (includes Auditory Processing Disorder)
     

Treatment Rooms

  • Evaluations and therapy can be conducted in any of our 9 clinic treatment rooms. 
  • Most rooms, which can be adapted to serve children and adults, have adjacent observation decks for families to watch sessions. 
  • An audiology suite is also available to complete hearing screenings and/or evaluations. 
  • A student room has computers, a printer, and numerous resources to prepare to conduct clinical evaluations and therapy.

Video Recording System & Instrumentation

  • Valt is used to record all diagnostic evaluations and therapy sessions. 
  • You will receive training in scheduling and using Valt effectively, and an orientation with instrumentation and lab practicals are offered during fall courses.
  • Please note that authorization from the client or parents to record sessions is required. 
  • Telepractice sessions are not recorded. 
  • Visi-Pitch and Nasometer II devices are also used to evaluate voice/resonance and to treat numerous disorders. 

Clinic Hours

Fall and Spring Semesters

  • Diagnostic evaluations are typically performed on Monday, Thursday, and Friday mornings, depending on the specific semester and class schedule.
  • Most sessions are offered in the afternoon. Some therapy sessions are offered in the morning due to changing clinical assignments.
  • The Buffalo State University Stroke and Hope Aphasia Support Group meets on Friday afternoons from 2:00–3:00 p.m. during fall and spring semesters.

Aphasia Support Group

Summer Semester

  • The clinic is open Fridays for paperwork or preparation. 
  • Students will have a student ID card which will grant swipe access to the clinic during permitted hours.