Clinical Training

Clinical Training

During the first year, students complete all of their clinical experience at the Queens College Speech-Language-Hearing Center located in the Gertz Building on campus (map). Students work alongside highly experienced, master clinicians in a mentorship model of clinical training. All clinical instructors have several years of professional experience in working with children and adults with a wide variety of communication disorders across the age span.

Clinical training begins the first semester of graduate school in conjunction with coursework. Faculty assume direct responsibility for clients, with students gradually integrated into the therapy program. Students are assigned to work with at least two or three clinical faculty per semester, 10-12 hours/week. Mentorship assignments include diagnostic screenings, client evaluations, and speech-language therapy with persons exhibiting a variety of communication challenges and differences. In addition to one-on-one, 100% supervision, students are assigned to weekly mentorship sessions with clinical supervisors in order to review and discuss treatment plans, procedures and outcomes. A concerted effort is made to integrate coursework and clinical experiences, translating course knowledge into the clinic and case experiences into the classroom throughout the two-year, graduate training experience.

During the second year, students are assigned to at least two additional, off-campus clinical sites.  The program currently has practicum contracts with highly respected hospitals, rehabilitation centers, school districts and special education preschools and specialized schools. All students must complete a practicum in a school setting. The second off-campus assignment is usually an adult facility such as a medical or rehabilitation center. Students have the option of an additional off-site practicum or may participate in advanced casework within the campus program. At the completion of the program, students have accumulated rich, supervised clinical experiences of at least 400 clinical teaching hours that encompass a wide variety of ages, types and severity of communication and medical disorders, and treatment settings.