Clinical Experience

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.